October 20, 2011

The Association for Aid and Relief (AAR) Japan posted a report on its activities over the seven months since the Great East Japan Earthquake struck. They listed 13 areas in which they have offered support:

(1) provided items for daily living to about 35,000 temporary homes in Fukushima Prefecture
(2) provided school lunches for children in Minamisoma, including 2 tons of rice, and provided rental truck to let schools districts deliver lunches
(3) conducting project focused on physical and mental health of people with disabilities, the elderly, at-home evacuees, and those in temporary shelters (e.g., rehabilitation, regional exchange events, efforts to improve sanitary conditions, etc.)
(4) providing material donations and relief supplies (to approx. 75,900 people to date)
(5) provided more than 22,000 meals through August (meals are now being offered through the project described under #3)
(6) repairing approx. 60 facilities for people with disabilities and seniors
(7) provided vehicles to 10 welfare facilities
(8) carrying out container house project (41 homes and shops built so far)
(9) carrying out tote bag project to gather hand-made bags from around the country with messages of support for the victims of the disaster (5,000 bags were donated in the May round; another round is being held in October)
(10) carrying out programs in Soma to address the mental health of the children
(11) carried out charity concert in Tokyo to raise funds to buy musical instruments for schools, and held free concert in Sendai for disaster victims;
(12) carried out “onsen” project to bring hot baths to the evacuation centers in April (finished)
(13) provided bus service (finished)

NICCO is continuing to work with Youth for 3.11 to solicit student volunteers for clean-up activities and meal provision in Tohoku. As of October 13, this program had sent more than 400 volunteers to work primarily in Iwate Prefecture. The next group is scheduled to depart at the end of this week.

At the end of the month, NICCO is also holding a lecture and photo exhibit in Kyoto that will focus on the psychosocial care that it has been providing in the aftermath of the disaster.