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
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 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 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
NICCO is working in cooperation with local governments, the Japan Pest Control Association, and the Church World Service (an American NGO) to conduct pest control efforts in Iwate Prefecture. When the tsunami hit this region, it swept seafood out of the processing plants, and this … 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
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
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
The volunteer work continues in Tohoku. NICCO has been soliciting student volunteers for more clean-up work in October. Their focus will be cleaning and clearing debris from homes and farms on the island of Oshima, which is part of Kesennuma in Miyagi Prefecture. The island … Read more