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
It has now been three months since the devastating earthquake and tsunami struck the Tohoku region, so a number of NGOs have published summaries of their activities to date. We have summarized the reports from two of our fund recipients here. The Association for Aid … 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
A JCIE team visited several hard-hit towns Tohoku on June 17–19 in order to speak with NGO leaders, government officials, and local citizens about their communities’ needs and how outside aid can be directed most effectively. Following are the reflections of JCIE/USA Executive Director Jim … Read more
The Association for Aid and Relief (AAR) Japan recently delivered clothing and other supplies to Madoka, a social welfare facility in Sendai (Miyagi Prefecture) that provides employment assistance to people with disabilities. AAR volunteers were accompanied by helpers from an American aid group who brought … Read more
The Association for Aid and Relief (AAR) Japan has been working in Rikuzentakata (Iwate Prefecture) to help people living in temporary housing remain active. Extended stays in evacuation facilities make it difficult to find opportunities to exercise and move around as people normally would, so … 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
Many survivors of the Great East Japan Earthquake continue to live under uncertain conditions in shelters and temporary housing. During the summer, AAR Japan worked to make their lives as comfortable as possible in the heat and humidity. Now they are focusing their efforts on preparations … Read more
Peace Winds Japan (PWJ) reports that it has delivered supplies to 8,506 households in temporary housing in 9 towns in Iwate Prefecture. From the end of August, PWJ began surveying the needs of people in these housing units for the winter in order to effectively … Read more