As described in an AFP article on May 9 , the cleanup task in Tohoku is immense and volunteers have been helping local residents to remove the massive amounts of debris and the foul-smelling sludge that was left by the tsunami. A British resident of … Read more
A staff member of the Association for Aid and Relief (AAR) shared his experiences helping at an evacuation center in the Minato Middle School in the city of Ishinomaki (Miyagi Prefecture). He first arrived in mid-April, about one month after the earthquake struck, to … Read more
JEN reports that temporary housing is being built in the city of Ishinomaki. There are currently more than 22,000 people living in evacuation centers there, so there is an urgent need for housing. During the Golden Week holidays, JEN was able to provide an average … Read more
As the weather is starting to get warmer, fears are rising that there could be a major outbreak of mosquitoes, flies, mice, and other disease-bearing pests in the earthquake-stricken areas. Beginning in May, NICCO has been working in collaboration with the Japan Pest Control Association … Read more
As part of its ongoing efforts to help the children affected by the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake, Peace Winds Japan (PWJ) is conducting an Art Caravan at evacuation centers in Kesennuma (Miyagi Prefecture), Rikuzentakata (Iwate Prefecture), and other locations. Working with a certified art therapist … Read more
In the Motoyoshi section of Kesennuma (Miyagi Prefecture), residents had always relied on wells for their drinking water, but the tsunami left those wells polluted with sea water and fuel oil, making the wells unusable. As a result, the residents have had to travel an … Read more
JEN reported that last week the total number of volunteers it has sent to the earthquake-stricken region is now more than 1,000. Their efforts last week included clearing rubble from the area next to the Haginohama Elementary School on the Oshika Peninsula. Before the disaster, … Read more
The Association for Aid and Relief (AAR) Japan has been carrying out a project to construct “container houses” as temporary shelters until housing can be provided. Last week, they erected 10 new container houses in the town of Onagawa, in Miyagi Prefecture. Of the 3,800 … Read more
Peace Winds Japan (PWJ) worked with Studio Ghibli, Japan’s leading animated movie creators, and the film distributor Toei, to hold a special advanced screening of the studio’s latest film, Kokurizaka Kara, which will be released on July 16. This was part of PWJ’s effort to … Read more
As part of its efforts to support the children in Tohoku, Peace Winds Japan (PWJ) have been conducting a “school for play.” The program targets elementary and middle school children and tries to get them out of the shelters, temporary housing, or daycare so that … Read more