Just days after the Great East Japan Earthquake struck, JCIE began documenting the work being done by NGOs in the region. For nearly two years—through December 2012—we provided short updates on our website that offered a glimpse into the day-to-day activities being undertaken to provide relief, support, and healing for those affected by the disaster.
These updates focused on the work done by the grantees of the Japan NGO Earthquake Relief and Recovery Fund, whether through our funding or through support from other sources. Together, they form a journal that offers a unique look at how NGOs engage in post-disaster assistance in the initial phases and how their work shifts over time.
These posts are on the initial two years. Information from January 2013 on is available on our 3/11 Disaster Relief & Recovery Facebook page.
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 … Read more
Peace Winds Japan (PWJ) reports that it has delivered supplies to 8,506 households in temporary housing in 9 towns in Iwate Prefecture. From the end of August, PWJ began surveying the needs of people in these housing units for the winter in order to effectively … Read more
In Kitsunezakihama, on the eastern side of the tsunami-ravaged Oshika Peninsula, NPO JEN brought 30 volunteers from one company to assist in the preparations for oyster cultivation—a staple industry of the region. Shells are strung together to provide a bed to which new oysters will … 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
The Association for Aid and Relief (AAR) reviewed its nine months of relief efforts since the March 11 disaster. To date, it has provided sets of household items for 20,719 families living in temporary housing (the target is roughly 35,000). AAR is continues to provide … Read more
Today, JCIE and Metlife Alico Japan are launching the “MetLife Alico Employees’ Children Support Program” as part of the Japan NGO Earthquake Relief and Recovery Fund. With a generous donation from the employees of MetLife Alico in Japan, this will provide 15 million (roughly $200,000) … 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
We are delighted to announce that the BTMU Foundation, supported by the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, has just made a $288,514 grant to the fund. This was contributed by bank staff, customers, vendors, retirees, and others in North and South America, and it will be … Read more
The Japan NGO Earthquake Relief & Recovery Fund is making $200,000+ in multi-year grants to two groups. One grant will strengthen the underpinnings of the region’s nonprofit sector by helping the Sanaburi Foundation, the first community foundation in Tohoku, get off the ground. A second one … Read more
When the March 11 disaster struck, people with severe disabilities whose lives depend on respirators or suctioning machines were placed in a frightening position. A mother of a 9-year-old boy who requires a respirator recalled her experience: “When the earthquake struck, the bed and respirator … Read more