A group of Harvard Business School students visited the JEN Ishinomaki office as a part of their Business Research Program. After a presentation on JEN’s activities, JEN held an open hearing with the beneficiaries of the emergency clothing assistance project, which was carried out jointly by UNIQLO and JEN, offering a case study of NGO-business partnership in disaster relief. A group of 11 students also participated in voluntary clean-up work in the Watanoha and Ayukawa areas. Since it has been 10 months since the tsunami, the vacant lot was covered with weeds. Before they started working they asked why they should clean up a grassy place. However once they mowed the grass, they discovered all of the tatami mats, furniture, photos, and broken glass that had been deposited there by the tsunami. They worked hard in a sweat, and thanks to the great team, the place was totally cleaned up.
January 20, 2012
