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
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
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
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 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
With help from JEN and from a German NGO that JEN has partnered with for nearly two decades, in mid-November a temporary shopping mall, “Oshika no Rengai,” officially opened in Ayukawahama (on the Oshika Peninsula) after just one and a half months of construction. The … Read more
On December 18, the Association of Medical Doctors of Asia opened the “AMDA Otsuchi Health Support Center.” The project planning for the center began in April and construction began in early November. The official opening ceremony featured the traditional pounding of rice cakes, a concert, … Read more
With funding from the BTMU Americas Community Award, JCIE provided a grant to Sankaku Planning in order to help strengthen communities’ ties and serve vulnerable populations, particularly senior citizens and disabled disaster survivors, through a “Delivery Care Project.” This hires unemployed women affected by the March … Read more