Misono Orphanage

On Sunday, I volunteered with AOSA (the Atsugi Officers' Spouses' Association) to work at the children's festival at Misono Orphanage. The orphanage is home to about 120 children from tiny babies to the age of 18. Adoption is not very common in Japan so the majority of these children will live here until they are considered adults and move out on their own. This was my second time visiting the orphanage. Last time, I simply played and fed some of the babies.

The festival is held each year by the staff and older children for the younger children. We didn't understand everything that was going on, but the children seemed to being enjoying all the food, candy and toys they were receiving!

Tori and I were the AOSA representatives and we gave out cookies to the children and staff that other AOSA members and the Junior Sailors Association had made. They really seemed to enjoy the 'hand-made' cookies!

Misono is a Catholic orphanage as you can see by the nuns. One of my favorite pictures of the event was one of the Junior Sailor Association members teaching one of the sisters how to drink a Capri Sun!

There were several organizations from NAF Atsugi. They were grilling lots of American foods including hot dogs, hamburgers and short ribs.

It was a great event and I was happy to be a part of it!