National flag-carrier Garuda Indonesia has made a commitment to support children in Japan`s Tohoku region which was severely affected by the recent earthquake and tsunami.

Faik Fahmi, Garuda Indonesia`s senior general manager for Japan, Korea, China and the USA had visited Yoshiomi Tamai, Founder and President, Director of East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Emergency Operations Center, and made a commitment to support children in the devastated Tohoku region, according to a Garuda Indonesia public relations release.

Garuda has great sympathy for the victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan and "all our thoughts go to those who suffered in the disaster." the airline said in its website on Wednesday.

Garuda Indonesia would initiate a project dubbed "Gambaro Nippon#! (The Japanese Spirit Always) as a part of its support for the earthquake and tsunami victims, the airline said. "We would like to support children who will be the generation of the future in cooperation with certain other parties," it said.

The outline of the program includes donations that will be made by Garuda of 300 yen to the Ashinaga, a social nonprofit organization dedicated to the welfare of children, for each passenger from Japan flight between April 1st and June 30th , 2011.

Message card written by our customers will be sent to the children in damaged area as also stationeries and other activities including the dissemination for support widely through events.

Established in 1988, Ashinaga is a nonprofit organization providing support both physically and spiritually to children who have a parent with a serious disability and not able to work, or who have lost one or both parents due to illness or disaster.

While providing financial support such as scholarship, it provides education and mental care and aims to raise children to have "a warm heart", "a wide view," "energy to make action" and "inter- nationality" and become person who will contribute to society with a volunteer spirit.

In 2004, after the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, 60 orphans who lost their parents due to tsunami were invited to the exchange meeting between 2005 and 2007 and to provide emotional care and support for self-reliance by having an interchange with other orphans who were in the similar situation around the world.

With its support two orphans from Indonesia entered Waseda University in 2009 and other two students visited to Japan to study Japanese language in 2010. These orphans have visited to Japan with supporting air tickets of Garuda Indonesia.

In addition, Indonesia exchange program for Japanese orphans has started from 2005 and interactive exchange activities have been conducted between Japan and Indonesia.
(T.KR-VFT/HAJM/F001)