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.
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 some fields, NGOs are winding down their relief efforts. For example, medical assistance is decreasing as the Tohoku region’s own medical institutions are starting to reopen. At the same time, other organizations are starting to prepare for the long-term task of the recovery, which … Read more
Thanks to CCP (Campaign for the Children of Palestine), one of the NPOs that belongs to Japan Platform, children in Otsuchi received about 2,000 “Pika-Pika” stationery packs. There were different items in each pack, and children from preschool to high school were allowed to choose … Read more
Kids without Borders (KnK) Japan—one of the NPO members of Japan Platform—has been carrying out a Friendship Library project to send messages of support along with books to schools and evacuation centers in Rikuzentakata (Iwate Prefecture). In that city, the schools are beginning to reopen and … Read more
During a visit this month to Kamaishi, JCIE staff visited what remains of one of the city’s junior high schools. Surrounded by mounds of rubble, the images are a haunting reminder of the devastation that occurred that day. But in what was called the “Miracle … Read more
The Association for Aid and Relief (AAR) announced today that it is working in cooperation with ADRA Japan to provide sets of household items for all of the temporary and leased housing for evacuees in Fukushima Prefecture (about 35,000 households). The Red Cross Society of … Read more
Before the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, the Tohoku region of Japan was a major center for Japan’s fishing industry. The infrastructure in these ports was devastated by the disaster. Boats were washed away, wharfs destroyed, and in many port areas, the ground sank significantly … 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
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
JEN reported that last week the total number of volunteers it has sent to the earthquake-stricken region is now more than 1,000. Their efforts last week included clearing rubble from the area next to the Haginohama Elementary School on the Oshika Peninsula. Before the disaster, … Read more