Areas in Fukushima Prefecture and the southern parts of Miyagi Prefecture were badly damaged by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, but they were not able to get sufficient food and supplies in the months after the disaster, partly because the radiation leaks made many organizations and individuals—from NGO workers to commercial truck drivers—wary of entering Fukushima. In response, funding was provided by the Bain Capital Japan Disaster Relief Fund to the Tokyo Voluntary Action Center (TVAC) to help create a transportation and distribution system to ensure the delivery of supplies and to support volunteer activities in the disaster zone. The initiative started in April 2011 and was scheduled to continue for a year.
Building on its experience in mobilizing responses to other natural disasters inside Japan as well as overseas, TVAC was one of the few organizations with staff on the ground in Fukushima and southern Miyagi Prefectures providing disaster relief in the early days of the disaster. TVAC teamed up with numerous corporations and groups, which made in-kind donations of meals, supplies, and equipment that were then deployed through its distribution system.
Project Activities
1) Distribution System for Relief Aid
Teaming up with trucking unions and industry bodies, trucks and drivers were hired to deliver relief supplies from regional stockpiles to local distribution centers.
The project ensured the delivery of supplies from local distribution centers to public shelters and private homes. When necessary, bicycles were also provided to local distribution centers to facilitate local deliveries.
2) Transportation System for Volunteer Activities
Vans and a one-month supply of gasoline was supplied to volunteer centers set up by the Japan National Council of Social Welfare in the disaster zone in order to help volunteers reach survivors in their communities and homes.
3) Delivery System for Skylark Meals
Working with local trucking associations, the project established a distribution system for the regular provision of meals donated by Skylark Co., Ltd., which operates a nationwide chains of restaurants, to evacuation centers in Kesennuma, Onagawa, and elsewhere.
| Organizers | |
| Tokyo Voluntary Action Center Japan Center for International Exchange |
|
| Sponsor | |
| Bain Capital, LLC & Bain Capital partners and employees | |
| Major Contributors | |
| Belsystem24, Inc. | D & M Holdings, Inc. |
| Domino’s Pizza Japan, Inc. | Iwatani Corporation |
| Japan Industrial Partners, Inc. | Nippon Conlux Co., Ltd. |
| Ropes & Gray, LLP & Ropes & Gray employees | Skylark Co., Ltd. |
| Sun Telephone Co., Ltd. | UCC Ueshima Coffee Co., Ltd. |
This fund was administered by JCIE/USA, a NY-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. TVAC and JCIE/Japan are also nonprofit organizations registered under Japanese law.
About Bain Capital, LLC
Established in 1984, Bain Capital is one of the world’s leading private investment firm. Headquartered in Boston, Bain Capital has offices in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai, New York, London, Munich and Mumbai.
About the Tokyo Voluntary Action Center (TVAC)
TVAC was created in 1981 to promote volunteerism in the Tokyo metropolitan area. One of the leading organizations in the field in Japan, it develops volunteer programs for schools and companies, builds up networks of volunteers and nonprofit organizations, and carries out research on the nonprofit sector and volunteerism.