International Bulletin - Fall 1997
Bits and Pieces
Mata'afa elected to UNESCO Executive Board
The Honorable Fiame Naomi Mata'afa, Minister of Education, Samoa; Naomi, as she is known to us, was recently elected a member of the Executive board of UNESCO during the fall session of the Biennial General Conference of UNESCO.
Fiame is the daughter of La'ulu Fetaui, a member of the Council of PPSEAWA. Her father was the first Prime Minister of Samoa from the day of Independence in 1960.
PPSEAWA sends our congratulations, Naomi!
Wheelchair ramp dedicated to Leoni Pynappel
On Sunday, October 12, 1997, the congregation the Pynappel family had belonged to for years, dedicated a wheel chair ramp in Leoni's memory. The service bulletin tells this story, "In April 1996, Ony had looked forward to hearing the Easter Cantata of her beloved choir... on that snowy Sunday morning, her illness prevented her from climbing the stairs, and our building lacked the facility to accomodate people in wheel-chairs. This sad occurance triggered the thought about handicapped access. It is part of Ony's desire to be of assistance to others in need." Donations for the project came from friends from the area and a dozen countries around the world. Menso and the family wish to express profound gratitude to all those involved in this project.
U.S. Army Seeking Asian American and Pacific Islander WWII Awardees
The U. S. Army is conducting a research project into a little known aspect of World War II. Approximately 5,000 Asian Americans and Native American Pacific Islanders received the (DSC) Distinguished Service Cross, which is second only to the Medal of Honor. The search will encompass American soldiers of Indian, Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean and Southeast Asian decent. It will also focus on Native Hawaiians, Micronesians, Polynesians, Melanesians and other Pacific Islanders. Once the search is concluded, some awardees will be considered for upgrade to the Medal of Honor. If you have any information about someone who received the DSC while serving the Army Ground or Air Forces, contact Mr. Welch at FAX (408) 242-7838 or e-mail at welchs@pom-emhl.army.mil or consult the web page at http://pom-www.army.mil/www-misc/history/
Teenagers, the Family and Health
Beginning in January, 1997 in Delhi, India and finishing in Apia, Western Samoa in June, 17 one day meetings were held throughout the PPSEAWA system.
The special poster for these meetings and the report of them have been widely distributed and 500 copies of each were available (and readily picked up) in the display area of the Hilton Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, during the 20th International Conference of PPSEAWA.
The poster, the meetings and the Report were sponsored by UNESCO, and funded by Air France and Nestle SA.
Additional copies of the poster and the book are available on request to fax: (212) 473-0942 or by mail to Box 1104, Madison Square Station, New York City 10159.
Last Modified: November 29, 2002