One of Japan’s most famous marathon runners, Mari Tanigawa, has been working with the Association for Aid and Relief (AAR) as a board member and as a goodwill ambassador for their efforts to clear landmines. In early May, she joined the AAR teams in Iwate … 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
As highlighted in a recent Japan Times article, the Internet and social media such as Facebook and Twitter are playing a new and increasing role in disaster relief efforts in Tohoku. The NGOs being helped by JCIE’s relief and recovery fund are posting calls for … Read more
In some fields, NGOs are winding down their relief efforts. For example, medical assistance is decreasing as the Tohoku region’s own medical institutions are starting to reopen. At the same time, other organizations are starting to prepare for the long-term task of the recovery, which … Read more
Thanks to CCP (Campaign for the Children of Palestine), one of the NPOs that belongs to Japan Platform, children in Otsuchi received about 2,000 “Pika-Pika” stationery packs. There were different items in each pack, and children from preschool to high school were allowed to choose … Read more
Kids without Borders (KnK) Japan—one of the NPO members of Japan Platform—has been carrying out a Friendship Library project to send messages of support along with books to schools and evacuation centers in Rikuzentakata (Iwate Prefecture). In that city, the schools are beginning to reopen and … Read more
During a visit this month to Kamaishi, JCIE staff visited what remains of one of the city’s junior high schools. Surrounded by mounds of rubble, the images are a haunting reminder of the devastation that occurred that day. But in what was called the “Miracle … Read more
The Association for Aid and Relief (AAR) announced today that it is working in cooperation with ADRA Japan to provide sets of household items for all of the temporary and leased housing for evacuees in Fukushima Prefecture (about 35,000 households). The Red Cross Society of … Read more
Before the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, the Tohoku region of Japan was a major center for Japan’s fishing industry. The infrastructure in these ports was devastated by the disaster. Boats were washed away, wharfs destroyed, and in many port areas, the ground sank significantly … Read more
The Association for Aid and Relief (AAR) reported on its activities and the current situation in Iwate Prefecture. On April 1, they set up a headquarters in the city of Morioka, and have been working from there to reach facilities for the elderly and people … Read more