Association for Aid and Relief, Japan (AAR Japan), Shinagawa-ku, Japanhttp://www.aarjapan.gr.jp/english/
Target: $93,778.65
Raised so far: $93,427.66
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Association for Aid and Relief, Japan (AAR Japan), Shinagawa-ku, Japanhttp://www.aarjapan.gr.jp/english/
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AAR JAPAN is responding to the devastating earthquake and tsunami by distributing food and basic goods, as well as providing mobile medical services, repairing institutions which serve the elderly and people with disabilities, and providing long-term soci
The earthquake and tsunami in March 2011 destroyed over 200,000 houses and businesses, leaving hundreds of thousands without homes. Today, about 40% of the residents of temporary housing complexes are over 60 and most of them have lost the means to continue their previous activities or labor. On the other hand, many group homes and job training centers for persons with disabilities (PWDs) also got destroyed and still need to be reconstructed. The affected PWDs have lost their workplaces, too.
AAR JAPAN responds to the needs of evacuees living in temporary housing complexes, just as much as to the needs of welfare facilities for persons with disabilities (PWDs) and for the elderly. In this project, we support for example, the repair and reconstruction of care homes and other facilities, and we provide equipment to vocational training centers for PWDs. By assisting disaster-hit workshops for PWDs to explore new sales channels for their products, we help them restore their independence.
In the second year after the disaster, AAR JAPAN aims especially to support the recovery of elderly persons and families in temporary housing, as well as assist the re-integration of persons with disabilities in society and local economy. We are committed to work with local authorities and NPOs to rebuild the foundations of social welfare for PWDs and make sure they have a place to work. We expect thousands of elderly persons, PWDs, their families and communities to benefit from our project.
Tomomi AWAMURA
Building on its extensive experience in providing international emergency relief, the Association for Aid and Relief, Japan (AAR Japan) has continued its relief activities to support the survivors in the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake. In cooperation with the government and disabled people’s organizations, AAR has utilized its refined mobility as an NGO to continue its relief efforts to those in areas that are difficult to reach. Together with expressing our heart-felt gratitude to the individuals, corporations and organisations that have supported AAR Japan, this report entails our endeavours over the last two years.
2011/3/13
Immediately after the earthquake, our relief team made initial assessments and distributed relief supplies around the disaster stricken areas.
To 180,000 individuals in 1,606 locations
Drawing from our experience in overseas disaster relief that persons with disabilities (PWDs) and the elderly are prone to be overlooked during a disaster, AAR Japan implemented its activities focusing on these two population groups. Adult diapers and retort food were well received at social welfare facilities.
c. Soup Kitchens
25,000 meals in 73 locations
Soup kitchens were organized in our wish to cheer up the disaster survivors with hot meals. Menus were well planned-out so that they were rich in variety and had a fresh taste of the changing seasons.
Recipients of medical check-ups: 817 individuals
Recipients of home-care nurse visit: 387 individuals
AAR Japan organized mobile clinics with a medical team led by Dr. Toshiaki YASUDA, a local medical practitioner, and implemented health-related services including check-ups for chronic illnesses, prevention of infectious diseases, and provision of psychological support through counseling.
In addition to medical check-ups, AAR Japan staff members lent their ears to survivors who carry concerns like their daily worries toward their future and desperate need for supplies. One beneficiary commented, “I was so happy to have people come to my house on multiple occasions and be so concerned about my health condition. Having people recognize my existence gave me strength.”
To 22,599 families
Daily essentials including kitchenware and basic furniture were distributed to all households in temporary and subsidized housing complexes across 13 municipalities in Fukushima Prefecture.
71 locations
AAR Japan conducted reconstruction of facilities for PWDs and senior care centers, and provision of necessary equipment in cooperation with local contractors. This helped the PWDs in disaster areas reunite with their fellow colleagues and resume their former activities and job.
AAR Japan assisted construction of a new bread factory at ‘Hakku no Ie’, a workshop for PWDs in Tanohata Village, Iwate Prefecture. The factory has a dine-in space that serves fresh baked goods and is popular among the local community.
42 vehicles
Assistive and standard vehicles were provided to facilities and local municipal offices throughout the Tohoku region to be used for pick-up and drop-off services for facility users and as a means of transportation for those partaking in recovery efforts.
57 containers provided
AAR Japan provided prefabricated container houses which can be used as both residence and shops.
38 locations
Many facilities for PWDs were damaged by the earthquake. These facilities offered vocational training and employment to those who have difficulty working in private companies; however, as a result of the earthquake disaster, these facilities were lost. By conducting activities such as repairing these facilities for PWDs or supplying the necessary equipment for work, AAR Japan assists PWDs in reclaiming their workplace.
Number of fairs organized: 27
Many workshops have come to restart production of sweets and crafts, however, the sales have decreased at many facilities since existing customers themselves are affected by the disaster. In order to help these facilities explore new sales channels, AAR Japan organizes sales fairs at companies in Tokyo and encourages these facilities to participate in joint fairs held at shopping centers in Morioka and Sendai. We also support the development of new products.
Rehabilitation and active listening: 132 times
Community interaction events: 129 events
In order to help the affected people maintain both their physical and mental health, AAR Japan has organized various events under the title ‘Building Healthy Communities Project’. Events combining programs such as rehabilitation, concerts and active listening are held regularly at temporary housing complexes. We also facilitate farming activities at small-scale gardens in order to promote neighborhood interaction through gardening.
Installment and Provision of Playground Equipment: in 45 locations
Delivery of Bottled Water to Nurseries and Kindergartens: 9 locations/11,440 liters
AAR Japan has assisted in creating play areas where children can relieve their stress and solve the problem of lack of exercise that are developed from living in cramped temporary housing complexes. This includes setting up large-scale playground equipment within the premises of the temporary housing complexes and supplying indoor play toys to places such as assembly halls and day care facilities. Furthermore, in response to the concerns of mothers who are worried about radiation in drinking water, bottles of mineral water are also being provided to preschools in Fukushima Prefecture.
Staff members of AAR Japan’s Soma office continues to visit every residence in temporary housing complexes to carefully listen to the concerns of each resident.
Ekuko Yokoyama, a staff member of Soma office makes rounds every day to talk to those who have confronted loss of family members and face uncertainty about the future.
11 devices delivered
To measure the contamination level of outdoor-grown harvests and food items that they consume daily, radiation dosimeters were installed at support centers of temporary housing complexes and public halls in Soma City.
Hand-made tote bags delivered 10,543 bags
Chocolate 4,843 boxes
Flower seedlings 1,603 pots
In response to suggestions made by the disaster survivors that a tote bag would be useful when going to school or to organize relief supplies that were provided, a large number of handmade bags with messages attached were donated after a nation-wide call out for their creation. (Bags collected in April 2011, October 2011 and September 2012).
Several people also contributed to the “Heart-Warming Chocolate Delivery Campaign” where messages of support from the public were attached to boxes of AAR Japan’s charity chocolate (with cooperation from the Rokkatei Confectionary Co., Ltd.) and delivered to the disaster areas. There were those who shed tears when they received the message, “We have not forgotten about you”. (Messages collected: Winter 2011-2012 and Winter 2012-2013).
In the spring of 2012, AAR Japan commenced the “Delivering Flowers and Magokoro (literally translated as sincerity) Campaign” that aimed to send flowers to brighten up the disaster-stricken areas. Purchasing potted plants from florists and facilities for PWDs in the disaster areas, they were then individually delivered to places such as temporary housing complexes, each with a message attached.
In cooperation with the Morioka City’s municipal office and Morioka Municipal Hospital, AAR Japan implements activities to promote the health of people living in the coastal areas of Iwate and Miyagi prefectures. People living in cramped temporary housing are prone to suffer from lack of exercise that could lead to economy syndrome and disuse syndrome. A medical team makes visits to temporary housing complexes to conduct prevention screening and workshop for exercise to counter these diseases.
5 staff members dispatched for 51 cumulative months
In cooperation with the local government and other organizations, AAR Japan addresses issues surrounding the welfare system for PWDs in the disaster areas. In Iwate Prefecture, 4 staff members were temporarily dispatched to the regional centers of the “Iwate Disability and Welfare Recovery and Relief Center”. Creating manuals for emergency evacuations and gaining a deeper understanding of the actual conditions of the disaster survivors with disabilities are examples of the work that is being conducted. In Miyagi Prefecture, AAR Japan has dispatched one staff member to the “Miyagi Prefecture Ikuseikai”. Focusing on Minami-Sanriku Town, this project has continued with repairs of areas in which children with disabilities can play after school and during the summer holidays.
Help Survivors to Make a New Start
There is still a lot of work to do in the disaster-hit areas of Japan! If you would like to help us provide long-term assistance to the earthquake and tsunami survivors, please consider making a monthly donation to one of the above projects. Every donation (be it one-time or recurring) is truly appreciated.
Thank you for your support!
Sincerely,
Your AAR Japan Project Team
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Check our other activities on http://www.aarjapan.gr.jp/english/ !
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Daijo Tsuchikawa
Condensation Becomes a Crucial Problem
In Kesennuma, Miyagi, where the lowest temperature drops as low as -10 degrees Cesium during the winter, condensation has become a very critical issue in emergency temporary
ousing in the Watado district.
Mr. Toshio HATAKEYAMA, President of a Residents’ Association remarked that "some work was done to install double sash and heat insulation materials, but that did not solve the condensation problem. With all the windows open and the exhaust fans in the kitchen and in the bath area turned on, it would be too cold to sleep.” He explained that “with the windows closed, condensation would occur and water droplets start falling on my futon while I’m asleep. The exhaust fan in the attic is too small and useless when it's freezing cold." Water droplets create mold which trigger critical health issues like pneumonia, which can be a life-threatening disease especially to the elderly. The government has provided no further assistance. Mr. HATAKEYAMA sought help from the Volunteer Station in Kesennuma and came up with the idea to take simple measures using do-it-yourself materials that can be purchased at a home improvement center. AAR Japan, who heard about the situation, decided to provide assistance to cover these expenses and help the residents with construction work.
All United to Manually Install Heat Insulation
After prolonged freezing weather, the construction began on December 5 with the help of the residents in the temporary houses, staff from the Volunteer Station in Kesennuma, staff from NPO APCAS, and volunteers from Rakuno Gakuen University. Using double-sided scotch tape and sealant, heat insulation materials were installed without any gaps on ceilings and walls of living areas, bedrooms, kitchens, and closets. After measuring the dimensions and checking the positions of light bulbs and fire alarms in each room, the heat insulation materials were cut into appropriate sizes and shapes. If the heat insulation materials fit well in the designated place, they were attached with double-sided tape to form a tight seal.
Temporary housing for two occupants is composed of just one or two 4-mat rooms with little to no storage space. In these small rooms with barely enough space for a futon and storage closet, such work can take a considerable amount of time and effort. Some of the work had to be done outside in the chilly weather due to the lack of workspace. All volunteers worked together for an entire week to insulate a total of 10 households and 20 rooms for temporary houses in Watado along with some temporary houses in Goemongahara where the residents had claimed to suffer from the same problem.
"We No Longer Have to Worry About Condensation!"
"The temperature here tends to be 2 to 3 degrees Cesium lower comparing to the adjacent national road and it snows a lot here as well.” Mr. Etsurou FUJIKAWA, a resident of temporary housing in Goemongahara shared his experience. “This year, the weather has been colder than the previous one and it started snowing earlier too. The condensation problem was so severe that the futon bedding in our closets were always wet every morning. During the winter season, I had to wipe the condensation off the wall every morning. But, mold would appear on the ceiling since I can't reach high enough to wipe it. Sometimes, I would stand on the chair and try to wipe it, but it's a hard work considering my age." With an expression of relief on his face he said, "but we no longer have to worry about it. Thank you for your help."
Ms. Nobuko MURAKAMI who resides in the same temporary housing commented "the government offered to add a reheating function to our baths but we declined because the condensation problem was more critical to us. It’s not worth it to spend taxes on what we can get along without. We're doing alright with our baths for now… We appreciate for all the work you've done today. Please help yourselves to some lunch.” She offered some rice with scallops and bamboo shoot she prepared the night before along with some salad, minced soup with saury, and Ganzuki (a well-known snack in Miyagi and Iwate).
Our prayers are with the quake victims who addressed their problems proactively during the toughest of times. We hope that the measures taken against the condensation will help them maintain their health through the winter.
This program is implemented with generous donations received through GlobalGiving and other donors. We appreciate all the support we have received and we will keep continue helping elderly people and persons with disabilities who are still suffering from the aftereffect of March 11th in Tohoku, Japan.
Daijo Tsuchikawa
Introduction of Our Achievements
AAR Japan is implementing many projects in the Tohoku region to help evacuees of the disaster, especially persons with disabilities (PWDs) and elderly people.
In this report we would like to introduce some of the achievements we have accomplished recently (April 2012 onward). We used the generous donations received through GlobalGiving for some of these projects.
“Hinatabokko” – Care center for elderly people
Hinatabokko used to organize welfare services such as sending care workers and registered nurses to homes of elderly people to take care of their daily needs. Also Hinatabokko was a place of gathering and comfort for elderly people in Minami-Sanriku Town in Miyagi Prefecture until March 11th 2011, when the tsunami destroyed the building. Many people in the neighborhood lost their homes and families and evacuated out of the Tohoku region, while some, including PWDs and the elderly, stayed in the community. When Hinatabokko was destroyed, Hinatabokko could no longer operate to provide important and sometimes crucial service to their users. We recognized that the social care service was vital in the disaster-affected area. Therefore, supported by several organizations and donors, AAR Japan helped reconstruct the office building of Hinatabokko, which was completed in August 2012.
Now more and more people utilize the Hinatabokko building and the service it offers. More than 100 elderly people use the care service and many of them come to talk and relax at Hinatabokko.
“Senshinkai” – Operator of workshops for PWDs
Senshinkai manages various types of workshops to provide hands-on job training and employment for PWDs. One of the workshops is Nozomi Workshop, which receives contract work from local companies for simple labor such as folding envelopes, putting together boxes, and wrapping products. Senshinkai, through its operation, gives valuable work opportunity to PWDs. To rebuild Senshinkai’s main office, AAR Japan, in cooperation with AmeriCares, repaired the building so that Senshinkai staff members can resume their operation to help PWDs in Kesennuma City.
Ogatsu Dental Clinic – Medical Clinic in Ishinomaki City
As our relief activities progress in the Tohoku region, we have seen a transition of needs of the people in the disaster-affected areas. In Miyagi Prefecture, many people still live in temporary housing complex where access to supermarkets, hospitals, clinics, and schools is hindered. In the Ogatsu district of Ishinomaki City, many buildings including banks, fire stations, kindergartens, and hospitals were destroyed along with 80% of the residences in the district.
With the help of many organizations and individuals, Ogatsu district managed to rebuild one small clinic to provide basic medical service to its residents, but there still was no place to provide dental service. AAR Japan, in cooperation with AmeriCares, established a new dental clinic in June 2012 so that the local people can receive dental treatment, including fitting of dentures for elderly people.
Our Resolution
These are just a few examples of our activities. These projects were accomplished with help of many organizations and individuals who are dedicated to lending a helping hand. We truly appreciate all the donations we continue to receive via GlobalGiving. We believe that size does not matter; the important thing is the fact that people care about each other and act in whatever way they can. With your donation, we can implement more activities to support those who are in need of help including PWDs and elderly people.
It will be our pleasure to report our future activities and the accomplishments we make with your help. In the Tohoku region, there are still many people who are in need of help and we will do our best to help those people.
We would like to thank everyone who is helping this cause.
Thank you for your support!
Sincerely,
Your AAR Japan Project Team
Association for Aid and Relief, Japan
You may have noticed that we have recently updated the title and description of the project you have been supporting. As you can imagine, the needs of the disaster survivors keep on changing, and so do our activities. This is why we have decided to do a little overhaul. In the project you are supporting, we are now giving priority to the repair of senior care homes and facilities for persons with disabilities (PWDs), as well as to the re-integration of PWDs who have lost their workplaces due to the disaster.
On the other hand, our support efforts for the tens of thousands of evacuees who now live in temporary housing facilities are ongoing. And we have just started several new programs in Fukushima Prefecture, too.
If you are interested, please have a look at our two other recovery projects for the earthquake and tsunami disaster survivors in Japan.
"Building Healthy Communities for Recovery"
http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/building-healthy-communities-1/
"Support Evacuees of Fukushima"
http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/support-evacuees-of-fukushima/
There is still a lot of work to do in the disaster-hit areas of Japan! If you would like to help us provide long-term assistance to the earthquake and tsunami survivors, please consider making a monthly donation to one of the above projects. Every donation (be it one-time or recurring) is truly appreciated.
Thank you for your support!
Sincerely,
Your AAR Japan Project Team
Association for Aid and Relief, Japan
In the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake, AAR JAPAN has been providing equipment and supporting the repair and maintenance of approximately 50 social welfare facilities in the disaster-affected areas. One of the facilities we support is Huck’s House, a vocational center for persons with disabilities in Tanohata Village, Iwate Prefecture.
Before the earthquake, the facility’s users made calamari in a seafood processing plant, bread in a bread factory, and Japanese pickles in an agricultural processing plant, all of which were run by Huck’s House. The seafood processing plant brought in a significant income, but the seaside plant was totally destroyed by the March 11th tsunami. To compensate, the facility decided to expand the bread factory and agricultural processing plant, which fortunately escaped damage from the tsunami. The new buildings of the bread factory and agricultural processing plant were completed at the end of December 2011.
The users of Huck’s House were very happy with the new bread factory. While full production will commence once all of the new equipment is installed in May 2012, partial production has already begun using the existing baking equipment.
On January 31st, 10 elementary and 5 junior high school students from the neighboring special needs school attended baking classes led by the baking supervisors at Huck’s House. This was the students’ first time to bake bread. All of them were excited to put on white caps, aprons and face masks, and they listened carefully to the instructions of Mr. Hideki TAKESHITA, the factory manager. “Bread dough breathes,” he told them—and for a moment everyone was afraid to touch the dough with their hands. When facility manager Atsuko TAKESHITA told them that they could make their favorite shapes with the dough, the students smiled and quickly started to make their own original designs.
When the students were done, the tray was lined with shapes of bread that were unique in the world. One boy made his bread in the image of his favorite teacher’s face, planning to give it to him when it was done. Another boy made a rainbow of 7 different types of jam along a 30-cm length of bread, hoping to surprise his friends. One girl simply crammed the dough with as much jam as she could.
The 3 bakers at Huck’s House supported the elementary school students. Like dependable elder brothers, they carried heavy trays, spread the students’ requested jams, and helped students who couldn’t close their dough around their jam. The dough was placed in the oven, and the bread was ready a short time later. The students were happy first with the pleasant smells, and then to see their own unique designs.
Mr. Kiichi SOJIGAMI used to work at the seafood processing plant. “I was worried because I didn’t know when we could start working again,” he told us. “And we couldn’t see our colleagues because we needed to stay at home for a while after the earthquake.” Now he has started working at the newly-expanded bread factory. He told us enthusiastically, “I am learning now, but I want to be better. I’ll practice every day.”
Huck’s House has been selected to make bread for school lunch in the village, which is anticipated to offer a stable revenue stream. The neighbors both in the nearby temporary housing complex and in the local community are looking forward to having bread from Huck’s House, and the venue is expected to be a place for interaction in the community.
This project has been made possible thanks to many individual donations and through a grant from Japan Platform.
Britt Lake
For the past year I’ve been communicating with the great staff at the Association of Aid and Relief (AAR) in Japan, but last Sunday I was able to meet them in person and see firsthand the fabulous work that AAR is doing in the earthquake and tsunami affected areas in Tohoku that you have helped to support.
Our day started early as we made our way up to Sendai – about two hours north of Tokyo on the bullet train – where we were met by the AAR team. They took us to visit three of the projects GlobalGiving donors are helping to support in the area around Ishinomaki.
On our first stop I met Sao Abe. Mr. Abe was an Oyster fisherman on an island in Miyagi Prefecture before the earthquake and tsunami destroyed his home and livelihood on March 11 last year. With his home gone, he was moved into a temporary shelter closer inland with his elderly mother. Mr. Abe is a jokester with a natural smile and was part of a group that Mari, GlobalGiving’s President, and I met with during a site visit He lives in a temporary shelter reserved for elderly or handicapped people with 35 other families. The community center where we met is a small room that serves as a meeting place where the residents can talk, drink tea, read books, and start to reform the communities they lost in the disaster. AAR provides services to help the people living in the temporary shelters to cope with the disaster and start to build a new community. We joined the group in stretching exercises led by a physical therapist AAR brings in to help support the residents in the shelter. They spoke highly of AAR’s involvement in the temporary shelter and with the people who live there. During our visit, GlobalGiving's president, Mari Kuraishi, delivered cards with messages from GlobalGiving donors.
Next we visited a “container mall” that was built by AAR. Before the tsunami hit Tohoku, many residents had small businesses that they had built their entire lives. When their businesses, and the buildings they were housed in, were lost in the disaster, many families felt hopeless. AAR supported the construction of a temporary mini-mall built from containers that currently house eight small businesses. The best part for us was not just seeing the construction of the building and the operation of the shops, but also to see the cooperation among the various non-profit groups as well. AAR built the main structure, but two other organizations had worked with them to improve the construction and support the businesses.
Finally, we visited a newly built fish market that was helping fishing families and small business owners rebuild their livelihoods. In this case AAR hadn’t built the structure, but had supplied the refrigerator that was necessary in order to run a fish shop. Without the refrigerator, the owners wouldn’t have been able to sell the fish before they go bad. Nicolette, our AAR host, explained to us that some of what AAR does is to provide the small – but necessary - things that people need to start to rebuild their lives. Because of this, even small donations go a long way toward positive change for people in the Tohoku region. Thanks for supporting these efforts!
AAR JAPAN
Japan: Eleven Months after the Great East Japan Earthquake
Continuing to Bridge the Disaster Survivors and their Supporters
AAR JAPAN has been carrying out relief efforts for the victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake since the immediate aftermath of the disaster. In addition to delivering emergency supplies to those who have limited access to aid, such as persons with disabilities (PWDs) and the elderly, AAR JAPAN is also repairing welfare facilities and providing vehicles for facilities for persons with disabilities.
In addition to distributing winter necessities and equipment for snow removal to people living in temporary housing complexes, AAR JAPAN is continuing to support the Building Healthy Communities Project, offering community interaction and exchange events to disaster survivors, many of who tend to spend their entire day isolated behind closed doors. We are also putting great efforts to the heart-warming chocolate delivery campaign as Valentine’s Day approaches.
AAR JAPAN will continue its relief efforts for the people of the disaster-affected areas, forming a bridge between the struggling disaster survivors and those who hope to support them. Below is a report on the activities that AAR JAPAN’s supporters have enabled us to carry out in the last 11 months:
AAR JAPAN’s Projects in Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake
1. Delivering Relief to Families in Temporary Housing and Leased Housing in Fukushima Prefecture
2. Support for Food Service at Schools in Minami-soma City, Fukushima Prefecture
3. Psychological Care for Children in Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture
4. Supporting Pregnant Women Living in and out of Fukushima Prefecture
5. Building Healthy Communities Project
6. Delivery of Relief Supplies
7. Reconstruction of Facilities for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities
8. Vehicle Provision
9. Supporting Market Expansion for Products made by Persons with Disabilities
10. Container Housing Project
11. Hand-made Tote Bags Project
12. Heart-Warming Chocolate and Hand-Written Message Delivery Campaign
13. Charity Concerts
14. “Let’s Bring Hot Springs to the Disaster Zone!” Project (concluded)
15. Shuttle Bus Service (concluded)
16. Mobile Clinic (concluded)
17. Sanitation Services (concluded)
18. Sportswear and Textbook Support for Students who Moved to Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture (concluded)
1. Delivering Relief to Families in Temporary Housing and Leased Housing in Fukushima Prefecture
We have been supporting the day-to-day livelihoods of families living in temporary housing and subsidized housing in Fukushima Prefecture in cooperation with ADRA Japan. As the Japanese Red Cross has distributed six-piece sets of home electrical appliances in earthquake- and tsunami-affected areas, AAR JAPAN has focused on providing items such as kitchenware, bathroom goods, vacuum cleaners, kotatsu (heated tables) and regular tables, kitchen cabinets, and so on, based on requests from municipal governments. We are targeting 13 municipalities in the Hamadori and Nakadori regions of Fukushima Prefecture: Soma City, Minami-Soma City, Shinchi Town, Iitate Village, Tomioka Town, Kawauchi Village, Koriyama City, Sukagawa City, Kagamiishi Town, Shirakawa City, Nishigo Village, Yabuki Town, and Izumisaki Village. Following a request from the municipal governments of Minami-Soma City and Tomioka Town, both located within 20 km of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant, we are also providing supplies to survivors who have taken refuge in other prefectures. In order to contribute to the economic recovery of the local communities, we are collaborating with the local Commerce and Industry Associations in 10 municipalities to source as many aid goods locally as possible. As of January 31st, 2012, we have completed the delivery of relief supplies to 22,455 households in the target area.
2. Support for Food Service at Schools in Minami-soma City, Fukushima Prefecture
AAR JAPAN provided vegetable juice and rice for approximately 2,800 schoolchildren in Kashima, Minami-Soma City. The Kashima area is just outside the restricted zone around Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant, and since the accident, many children who used to attend school closer to the plant have now been relocated here. From July 1st to 22nd, vegetable juice was provided to every schoolchild twice a week, and a total of 2 tons of rice was supplied for school meals. Kashima was also experiencing a shortage of vehicles for delivering food to schools, so AAR JAPAN secured rented vehicles for food delivery from August 23rd.
3. Psychological Care for Children (Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture)
The SOMA Follower Team, which AAR JAPAN has been supporting, consists of 6 members including clinical psychologists, psychiatric social workers, and healthcare workers and has been providing psychological care for students and their parents at affected kindergartens, elementary schools, and junior high schools in Soma City. In addition to the psychological care activities at schools, the team began to visit each and every one of 1,361 households in the 13 temporary housing complexes in Soma City since October, 2011 in order to grasp the current living conditions of the children and students at temporary housing complexes. By visiting each family, they ask how the children are doing and listen to their guardians’ concerns so that they can discover problems, if any arise, in the early stage and respond to them.
4. Supporting Pregnant Women
AAR JAPAN has been supporting “Project in Response to Needs of Infants, Children, and Pregnant Women of Fukushima” (represented by Sayaka FUNADA-CLASSEN) in order to respond to individual needs of families who desire to evacuate from Fukushima Prefecture to elsewhere on their own. In this project, we have been providing detailed assistance to the families with infants, children, and/or pregnant women who are particularly concerned about health problems due to radiation pollution after the crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, which was triggered by the Great East Japan Earthquake. AAR JAPAN’s contribution enabled the delivery of heaters, heated carpets, and humidifiers among other items to 7 households that evacuated to Tokyo or Miyagi prefectures from Fukushima, and 160 toys and 110 stuffed animals to infants and children living in and out of Fukushima.
5. Building Healthy Communities Project
AAR JAPAN has been providing massages, calisthenics and psychological care, as well as community interaction and exchange events for roughly 3,000 people, focusing on persons with disabilities, the elderly, displaced people, and people staying in temporary housing in the disaster-affected areas of Miyagi and Iwate prefectures. Through these comprehensive efforts, AAR JAPAN continues to support people in the disaster zone as they work to maintain both their physical and mental health.
Massages/Calisthenics
AAR JAPAN has been sending occupational therapists and physiotherapists to evacuation centers, senior care centers, facilities for persons with disabilities, temporary housing, and individual homes in Miyagi and Iwate prefectures, offering massages and calisthenics to prevent disuse syndrome among 689 people from July 9th to January 29th, 2012.
At the health and welfare center "Seiyukan" on the Oshika Peninsula, Miyagi Prefecture (July 9th, 2011)
At the community center and at private homes in Ayukawa, Oshika Peninsula, Miyagi Prefecture (July 9th, 2011)
At Shizugawa Highschool in Minami-sanriku Town, Miyagi Prefecture (July 16th, 2011)
At welfare facility "Nonbiri Sumichan House" in Higashi-Matsushima City, Miyagi Prefecture (July 26th, 2011)
At temporary housing complex "Hibiki" in Higashi-Matsushima City, Miyagi Prefecture (July 26th, 2011)
At welfare facility "Harunomorikara" in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture (July 27th, 2011)
At "Miyako Ability Center", a vocational aid center for persons with disabilities in Miyako City, Iwate Prefecture (July 28th, 2011)
At "Fureai-so", a nursing home for the elderly in Miyako City, Iwate Prefecture (July 28th, 2011)
At the community center of the Shichigahama temporary housing complex in Miyagi County, Miyagi Prefecture (August 6th, 2011)
At the temporary housing complex on the premises of Showa-en in Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture (August 7th, 2011)
At temporary housing complex "Hibiki" in Higashi-Matsushima City, Miyagi Prefecture (August 13th, 2011)
At the Kojirahama temporary housing complex in Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture (August 20th, 2011)
At the community center of the Ayukawahama temporary housing complex in Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture (August 21st, 2011)
At welfare facility "Nonbiri Sumichan House" in Higashi-Matsushima City, Miyagi Prefecture (August 28th, 2011)
At welfare facility "Hamanasu no Sato"in Higashi-Matsushima City, Miyagi Prefecture (August 28th, 2011)
At the temporary housing complex on the premises of Onagawa Elementary School No. 3, Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture (September 3rd, 2011)
At the community center of temporary housing complex # 7 in Otsuchi, Kamihei County, Iwate Prefecture (September 4th, 2011)
At the community center of temporary housing complex # 5 in Otsuchi, Kamihei County, Iwate Prefecture (September 4th, 2011)
At temporary housing complex "Hibiki" in Higashi-Matsushima City, Miyagi Prefecture (September 10th, 2011)
At Kasshi Town Plot No. 7 (Ohata West), Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture (September 11th, 2011)
At the Kyubunhama temporary housing complex in Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture (September 17th, 2011)
At temporary housing complexes Wano and Sanoya in Kamihei County, Iwate Prefecture (September 18th, 2011)
At Sports Center 1 in Miyagi County, Miyagi Prefecture (September 23rd, 2011)
At the Kashinai temporary housing complex in Miyako City, Iwate Prefecture (September 24th, 2011)
At the Obuchihama temporary housing complex in Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture (October 1st, 2011)
At the Kugunarihama temporary housing complex in Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture (October 14th, 2011)
At the community center of the Shichigahama temporary housing complex in Miyagi County, Miyagi Prefecture (October 15th, 2011)
At temporary housing complex "Hibiki" in Higashi-Matsushima City, Miyagi Prefecture (October 22nd, 2011)
At the temporary housing complex on the premises of Onagawa Elementary School No. 3, Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture (November 5th, 2011)
At temporary housing complex "Hibiki" in Higashi-Matsushima City, Miyagi Prefecture (November 12th, 2011)
At welfare facility "Sasae-Ai Yamamoto" in Watari Town, Miyagi Prefecture (November 26th, 2011)
At temporary housing complex Hakosaki No. 3 in Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture (December 3rd, 2011)
At the community center of the Shichigahama temporary housing complex in Miyagi County, Miyagi Prefecture (December 4th, 2011)
At "Koguni no Sato", a temporary housing complex for persons with disabilities in Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture (December 11th, 2011)
At senior care center "Sayuri" in Rikuzentakata City, Iwate Prefecture (December 17th, 2011)
At temporary housing complex Hakosaki No. 3 in Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture (December 18th, 2011)
At temporary housing complex Hakosaki No. 3 in Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture (January 14th, 2012)
At temporary housing complex Hakosaki No. 3 in Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture (January 15th, 2012)
At welfare facility "Chiraku-so" in Yamamoto Town, Miyagi Prefecture (January 21st, 2012)
At temporary housing complex "Hibiki" in Higashi-Matsushima City, Miyagi Prefecture (January 22nd, 2012)
At the Kami-Osabe temporary housing complex in Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture (January 28th, 2012)
At Kariyado Fishing Port in Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture (January 29th, 2012)
Psychological Care
To mitigate stress both from the earthquake and from long-term evacuee life, AAR JAPAN has been sending counselors to evacuation centers, temporary housing units, and individual homes to provide psychological care. We provided counseling for 479 people between August 6th, 2011 and January 20th, 2012.
Community Interaction and Exchange Events
AAR JAPAN has been actively promoting community interaction and exchange events to help encourage the development of social ties in evacuation centers and temporary housing. In this effort, we have been organizing soup kitchens, delivering relief supplies, and providing rehabilitation services such as massages and aroma therapy. To date, we have organized or participated in events in the following locations:
Festival at Wako Kindergarten in Shichigahama Town, Miyagi Prefecture (July 23rd, 2011)
Temporary housing complex on the premises of Showa-en in Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture (August 7th, 2011)
Bon Festival in Onagawa Town, Miyagi Prefecture (August 15th, 2011)
Higashihama Elementary School on the Oshika Peninsula, Miyagi Prefecture (August 18th, 2011)
Toni Town, Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture (August 20th, 2011)
Senior care center in Otomo Town, Rikuzentakata City, Iwate Prefecture (August 20th, 2011)
Offering aromatherapy at Higashihama Elementary School in Miyagi Prefecture (August 23rd, 2011)
Workshop for persons with disabilities in Yamada Town, Shimohei County, Iwate Prefecture (August 26th, 2011)
Temporary housing complex in Kasshi Town, Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture (August 27th, 2011)
Temporary housing complex in Shichigahama Town, Miyagi Prefecture (August 28th, 2011)
Temporary housing complex in Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture (September 11th, 2011)
Gym of Nakano Junior High School in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture (September 17th, 2011)
Community room at Kashinai temporary housing complex in Miyako City, Iwate Prefecture (September 24th, 2011)
Temporary housing complex in Kuribayashi Town, Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture (September 25th, 2011)
Gym of Nakano Junior High School in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture (September 25th, 2011)
In front of a shop in Sakuragi-cho, Otsuchi Town, Kamihei County, Iwate Prefecture (September 28th,2011)
Temporary housing complex in Kesen Town, Rikuzentakata City, Iwate Prefecture (October 2nd, 2011)
Festival at Kurosaki Shrine in Hirota Town, Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture (October 9th, 2011)
“Everyone's Festival Bureiko” in Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture (October 10th, 2011)
Dosen Subsidized Apartments in Kasshi Town, Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture (October 16th, 2011)
Higashihama Elementary School in Ishinomaki City, Iwate Prefecture (October 11th, 2011)
Temporary housing complex # 9 in Otsuchi Town, Kamihei County, Iwate Prefecture (October 23rd, 2011)
Takinosato in Takekoma, Rikuzentakata City, Iwate Prefecture (October 25th, 2011)
Workshop "Himawari" in Kesennuma City, Miyagi Prefecture (October 29th, 2011)
Temporary housing complex Hakosaki No. 3 in Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture (October 30th, 2011)
Temporary housing complex on the premises of Onagawa Elementary School No. 3, Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture (November 5th, 2011)
"Atelier Sun", an employment support center for persons with disabilities in Hokuda, Miyako City, Iwate Prefecture (November 12th, 2011)
Parking lot in front of A. Sasaki's house in Miyako City, Iwate Prefecture (November 13th, 2011)
Shokei University in Natori City, Miyagi Prefecture (November 19th, 2011)
Temporary housing complex Tenjin in Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture (November 20th, 2011)
Nakano Sakae Community Center in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture (November 27th, 2011)
Temporary housing complex Hakosaki No. 3 in Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture (November 27th, 2011)
Temporary housing complex on the Ishinomaki bypass construction site in Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture (December 10th, 2011)
"Yamada Kyosei Sagyosho", an employment support center for persons with disabilities in Yamada Town, Iwate Prefecture (December 13th, 2011)
Shakunagenokai", a medical care facility for persons with severe disabilities in Sadanai, Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture (December 14th, 2011)
Community room of temporary housing complex "Hibiki" in Higashi-Matsushima City, Miyagi Prefecture (December 14th, 2011)
Higashihama Elementary School in Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture (December 15th, 2011)
Tsubaki Factory", a workshop for persons with intellectual disabilities in Ikawa Town, Ofunato City, Iwate Prefecture (December 19th, 2011)
"Suzuran-to-Katatsumuri", a workshop for persons with disabilities in Rikuzentakata City, Iwate Prefecture (December 20th, 2011)
In coordination with Ingram Co., Ltd., which is responsible for the Peace Project, AAR JAPAN organized soup kitchens at a total of 73 locations in Miyagi and Iwate prefectures between March 31st, 2011 and January 7th, 2012. Since August, the soup kitchens have been operated as part of the Building Healthy Communities Project.
Miyagi Prefecture:
Watanoha, Aikawa, Kitakami, and Ayukawa areas (Oshika Peninsula) in Ishinomaki City; Wakabayashi District in Sendai City; Tagajo City; Shizugawa and Utatsu in Minami-sanriku Town; Niitsuki, Shishiori, and Omose areas in Kesen-numa City
Iwate Prefecture:
Kamaishi City, Rikuzen-takata City, Taro Town in Miyako City, Yamada Town, Otsuchi Town
Fukushima Prefecture:
Haramachi Ward in Minami-Soma City
Menu
Tokushima ramen, Oden, Beef stew, Yakisoba (fried noodles), Fried chicken, Vegetable sticks, Chukadon (Chinese-style stir-fried meat and vegetables on rice), Beef steak, Onion soup, Tuna sashimi on rice, Chanko-nabe (hot pot), Apple pie, Onion sauté, Minestrone, Ground chicken with egg and vegetables on rice, Fish miso soup, Hijiki seaweed mix, Fried sweet potato, Cabbage rolls, Mixed bean-curd lees and vegetables, Autumn rice, Pork miso soup, Stewed fish, Cabbage and spinach side dishes, Somen noodles, Minced fish soup, Hand-made sweet potato pies, Hand-made langue du chats, Samgyetang (Korean chicken ginseng soup), Yakitori (grilled chicken), Miso soup with tofu and shimeji mushrooms, Stewed meat and potatoes, Boiled komatsuna (Japanese mustard spinach), Pasta with meat sauce, Potato salad, Miso soup with Chinese cabbage and shiitake mushrooms, Boiled field mustard, Inarizushi (fried tofu stuffed with venerated rice), Cooked radish and minced meat, Kashiwa mochi (rice cake wrapped in oak leaf), Fried whitefish, Miso soup with radish, Radish salad, Fruit Jell-O, Udon noodles, Almond Jell-O, Stir-fried meat with vegetables, Gyoza (Chinese dumplings), Borscht, Miso soup with clams, Marinated octopus, Miso soup with cabbage and Japanese mustard spinach, Raw squid with wasabi, Seafood curry and rice (with scallops, clams and shrimp), Japanese sweets and amazake (sweet mild sake), Charcoal-broiled fish, Kakigori (shaved ice with flavored syrup), Grilled corn, Kitsune udon, Okonomiyaki (Japanese pancakes), Japanese dace, Daikon-oroshi (grated Japanese radish), Pickled vegetables, Unaju (grilled eel on rice), Vegetables pickled in sake lees, Miso soup with wakame seaweed and green onion, Rice-fed pork from Sumida Town grilled with local vegetables on rice, Tada farm cheese pudding, Rice balls with chestnuts, Soba with tempura, Boiled taro, Konnyaku with bean paste, Congee with seven leaves, etc.
6. Delivery of Relief Supplies
Needs have altered as seasons change and people’s lives inch toward normalcy. AAR JAPAN is currently delivering portable power generators to persons with disabilities who rely on respirators to breathe. We have also been providing winter necessities for the harsh cold of the season.
Relief Supplies Delivered to Affected Areas from March 14th to January 30th
Provided to 120,326 people in 1,525 locations
Distribution Areas:
Miyagi Prefecture: Sendai City, Ishinomaki City, Kesen-numa City, Natori City, Tome City, Higashi-Matsushima City, Onagawa Town, Tagajo City, Iwanuma City, Minami-sanriku Town, Yamamoto Town, Shiogama City
Iwate Prefecture: Otsuchi Town, Ofunato City, Rikuzen-takata City, Kamaishi City, Yamada Town
Fukushima Prefecture: Soma City, Minami-Soma City
Yamagata Prefecture: Kamiyama City
Type of Facilities:
Evacuation centers, facilities for persons with disabilities, facilities for the elderly, social welfare councils, foster homes, shopping centers, social welfare corporations, volunteer centers, ambulatory facilities for the elderly, disaster countermeasures offices, temporary housing, evacuees’ homes, daycare centers, kindergartens, elementary schools, junior high schools, senior high schools, others.
Supplies Delivered:
Diesel oil (13,600 liters), Kerosene (4,400 liters), Gasoline (2,060 liters), Water (14 tons), Rice (2.5 tons), Milk (480 packs), Sweet-bean cakes (41,000 units), Vegetables (potatoes, carrots, onions, spinach, cabbage, radishes, green onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, chives, eggplants, kidney beans, edamame beans, pumpkins, burdock roots, taro, sweet potatoes, Chinese cabbage, corn, Japanese mustard spinach, dried shiitake and others), Fruit (mandarin oranges, bananas, watermelons, grapefruits, melons, etc.), Eggs, Other food (retort foods, food for the elderly, canned food, miso, soy sauce, dietary supplements, etc.), Blankets, Bedclothes, Underclothes, Clothes and scarves, Towels and hand cloths, Furoshiki wrapping cloths, Face masks, Hand warmers, Sleeping bags (3,400 units), Cold medicine and other medical supplies, Toothbrushes, Paper diapers, Adult diapers, Women’s sanitary products, Batteries, Baby products (baby food, pacifiers, feeding bottles, baby wipes, etc.), High-pressure washers (32 units), Chainsaws (30 units), Shovels, Boots, Books and picture books, Crayons, Cell phone chargers, Computer sets (37 units), Printers (2 units), Photocopying machines (5 units), Bicycles (294 units), Sputum aspirators (2 units), Care beds (31 units), Folding beds (2 units), Futon sets (30 units), Wheelchairs (22 units), Care chairs (2 units), Walkers (35 units), Power generators (3 units), Laundry machines (29 units), Drying machines (23 units), Refrigerators (30 units), Microwave ovens (7 units), Electric fans (51 units), Vacuum cleaners (44 units), Air cleaners (16 units), Rice cookers (8 units), Futon dehumidifiers (34 units), Reflective heaters (5 units), Kerosene heaters (2 units), Automatic blood pressure meters (34 units), Television sets (33 units), Dish dryers (2 units), Electric fans, Dehumidifiers, Weight scales, Clothes irons, Ironing tables, Rotary printing machines, Pull carts, Dollies, Audio players (10 units), Portable radios, Walking sticks, Cooking knives, Cutting boards, Small shelving units, Bookshelves, Clothing cases, Disinfectant spray, Hand soap, Reading glasses, Stuffed toys, Other toys, Thermos bottles, Digital cameras, DVD players, Video cameras, Mattresses, Sheets, Cotton blankets, Pesticides, Bug repellant, Mosquito nets, Toilet paper, Laundry detergent, Kitchen detergent, Toilet soap, Laundry baskets, Hangers, Cleaning buckets, Paper dishes, Notebooks, Copy paper, Tinfoil and cling wrap, Grass-cutting scythes, Grass cutters, Cucumber seedlings, Tomato seedlings, Flower seedlings, Screen windows, Laundry poles, Summer clothes, Rubber boots, Sandals, Slippers, Ice packs, Neck coolers, Inflatable play pools, Nutritional supplements, Umbrellas, Taisho harp sets, Electric piano sets, Keyboards, Taiko drums, Tea ceremony sets, Other small musical instruments, Sewing machines, Scarves, Sweaters, Down jackets, Fleeces and other winter clothes, Farming boots, Garden supplies, Table tennis sets, Electrical generators (23 units), Foot-operated aspirators, Hearing aids, Braille printers, Cultivators, Air purifiers, Heated carpets, Rugs, Kotatsu (heated table) sets, Gas and electric heaters, Hot water bottles, Electric blankets, Curtains, Christmas trees, Portable power generators (113 units), Snow plows (5 units), Shovels for snow removal (180 units), Portable heaters (1,418 units), and others.
7. Institutional Reconstruction
In coordination with local construction companies, AAR JAPAN has been repairing senior care centers and facilities for persons with disabilities in approximately 50 locations to accelerate resumption of services. From April 21st, 2011 to January 31st, 2012 AAR JAPAN repaired and provided equipment to the following social welfare facilities and NGOs:
1. Rubert (Operated by Minori-kai, Natori City, Miyagi Prefecture)
2. Clovers Pier Wasse (Operated by Shinwa-kai, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
3. Workshop Himawari (Operated by Senshin-kai Yume-no-mori, Kesen-numa City, Miyagi Prefecture)
4. Gin-no-hoshi (Operated by Yamoto-aiiku-kai, Higashi-Matsushima City, Miyagi Prefecture)
5. Kurihara-shuho-kai (Kurihara City, Miyagi Prefecture)
6. Himawari Family (Operated by Fureai-no-mori, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
7. Echo Ryouiku-en (Operated by Yoko Fukushi-kai, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
8. Coconet Autism Peering Center (Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
9. Miyama-sou Special Nursing Home (Operated by Seiwa-kai, Yamamoto Town, Watari County, Miyagi Prefecture)
10. Kamuri Gakuen (Operated by Aisen-kai, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
11. Daimatsu Gakuen (Operated by Hoshin-kai, Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture)
12. Group Home Kamikuri-sou (Operated by Kamaishi Kyosei-kai, Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture)
13. Yoshihama-sou (Operated by Aisei-kai, Ofunato City, Iwate Prefecture)
14. Kojuen (Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture)
15. Lumbini-en (Operated by Korin-kai, Hanamaki City, Iwate Prefecture)
16. Asunaro Home (Operated by Sansan-kai, Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture)
17. Yamada Kyosei Workshop (Operated by Yamada Kyosei-kai, Yamada Town, Shimohei County, Iwate Prefecture)
18. Taiyou-kai (Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture)
19. Machikado Counseling Link Matsubara Home (Operated by Aiiku-kai Social Welfare Corporation, Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture)
20. Care Home Megumi (Kesen-numa City, Miyagi Prefecture)
21. Harakara Fukushi-kai (Shibata Town, Shibata County, Miyagi Prefecture)
22. Cosmos House (Operated by Shiraishi Yoko Gakuen, Shiraishi City, Miyagi Prefecture)
23. Sakurambo Club (Tome City, Miyagi Prefecture)
24. Shiraishi Jukouen (Operated by Shiraishi Yoko Gakuen, Shiraishi City, Miyagi Prefecture)
25. Zao Suzushiro (Operated by Harakara Fukushi-kai, Zao Town, Katta County, Miyagi Prefecture)
26. Hatamaki Kyodo Workshop (Operated by Harakara Fukushi-kai, Igu County, Miyagi Prefecture)
27. Riverside Song, Song of the Surf, Seaside Song (Operated by Dreamers’ Home, Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture)
28. Izumi Workshop (Operated by Aiko Fukushi Kyokai, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
29. Fukushi Net ABC (Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
30. Hoyu-kan (Operated by Taiyo-kai, Ofunato City, Iwate Prefecture)
31. Sendai Tsudoi House Koppel (Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
32. Nakata Sun Farm (Tome City, Miyagi Prefecture)
33. Jiai Fukushi Gakuen (Operated by Taiyo-kai, Ofunato City, Iwate Prefecture)
34. Kamaishi Work Station (Operated by Hoyu-kai, Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture)
35. Warabi Gakuen (Operated by Warabi-kai, Otsuchi Town, Kamihei County, Iwate Prefecture)
36. Huck’s House (Tanohata Village Shimohei County, Iwate Prefecture)
37. Hamanasu Gakuen (Operated by Shinwa-kai, Yamada Town, Shimohei County, Iwate Prefecture)
38. Smile Workshop (Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
39. Kibo-en (Operated by Katei Fukushi-kai, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
40. Miyako City Center for Persons with Disabilities (Miyako City, Iwate Prefecture)
41. Muraden Ltd. group home, Kesen-numa City, Miyagi Prefecture
42. Saiwai Town Welfare (Operated by Miyagi Persons with Disabilities Association, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
43. Full House Free Space Soleil (Taihaku Ward, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
44. Headquarters of Sarakara Sukushi-kai (Izumi Ward, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
45. Kosen Gakuen (Operated by Aisen-kai, Izumi Ward, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
46. Work Fale (Operated by Aisen-kai, Izumi Ward, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
47. Yamamoto Town Workshop (Operated by Yamamoto Town Social Welfare Cooperation, Yamamoto Town, Watari County, Miyagi Prefecture)
8. Vehicle Provision
AAR JAPAN has been providing vehicles as vital means of transportation for people who make use of welfare facilities. AAR JAPAN has provided the following vehicles:
1. One (1) van – Nozomi Fukushi Workshop (Operated by Senshin-kai, Minami-sanriku Town, Miyagi Prefecture)
2. One (1) mini-vehicle – Huck’s House (Tanohata Village, Shimohei County, Iwate Prefecture)
3. One (1) van – Kujira-no-shippo (Operated by Ishinomaki Shoshin-kai, Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture)
4. One (1) mini-vehicle – Kick-off Career and Life Support Center for Persons with Disabilities (Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture)
5. One (1) van – Work House Atelier Sun (Miyako City, Iwate Prefecture)
6. One (1) elderly-care taxi – Yamazaki Taxi (Yamada Town, Shimohei County, Iwate Prefecture)
7. One (1) compact car – Hikami-no-sono (Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture)
8. One (1) mini-van – Group Home Kibogaoka (Operated by Harmony Utatsu, Minami-sanriku City, Motoyoshi County, Miyagi Prefecture)
9. Three (3) vehicles – Sasae-ai Yamamoto (Yamamoto Town, Watari County, Miyagi Prefecture)
10. One (1) mini-vehicle – Warabi Gakuen (Otsuchi Town, Kamihei County, Iwate Prefecture)
11. One (1) mini-vehicle – Kamaishi Workshop (Chidori Town, Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture)
12. One (1) van – Suzuran-to-Katatsumuri (Takekoma Town, Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture)
13. One (1) vehicle – Madoka Arahama (Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
14. One (1) elderly care taxi – Otsuchi Taxi (Otsuchi Town, Iwate Prefecture)
15. One vehicle – Aozora (Miyako City, Iwate Prefecture)
16. One wagon with wheelchair lift – Yamada Kyosei Workshop (Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture)
9. Supporting Market Expansion for Products made by Persons with Disabilities
AAR JAPAN supports various workshops for persons with disabilities, many of which raise funds by selling products such as home-made sweets in their local area. Sales in the disaster-affected areas have decreased sharply since the Great East Japan Earthquake, and AAR JAPAN has been supporting the exploration of new markets for these welfare facilities’ products. We are currently supporting the following facilities:
1. Harakara Fukushi-kai (Shibata Town, Shibata County, Miyagi Prefecture)
2. Kurihara-shuho-kai (Kurihara City, Miyagi Prefecture)
3. Smile Workshop (Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
4. Kamuri Gakuen (Operated by Aisen-kai, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
5. Fukushi Net ABC (Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
6. Shomatsu-kan (Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture)
7. Asunaro Home (Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture)
8. Miyako Work Station (Miyako City, Miyagi Prefecture)
9. Kamaishi City Fukushi Workshop (Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture)
10. Warabi Gakuen (Otsuchi Town, Kamihei County, Iwate Prefecture)
11. Hoyu-kan (Ofunato City, Iwate Prefecture)
10. Container Housing Project
At the recommendation of international journalist Izuru SUGAWARA, AAR JAPAN has been providing easy-to-build prefabricated container housing units in the disaster zone. To date, we have installed 52 units in Onagawa Town in Oshika County and in Minami-sanriku Town, Miyagi Prefecture, and in Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture. These container housing units are being used by evacuees as private residences and small shops.
11. Hand-made Tote Bags Project
AAR JAPAN collected hand-made tote bags in response to requests from people in evacuation centers and senior care facilities for bags in which to carry their personal belongings. By May 20th, AAR JAPAN had received 5,000 bags from inside and outside of Japan. Volunteers helped to attach AAR JAPAN’s “Sunny-chan” mascot straps to the bags and deliver them to evacuees, with a special focus on the elderly. Survivors who received the bags were pleased not only with the bags themselves, but also with the various encouraging messages written inside.
The project was such a success that AAR JAPAN began collecting bags again in October. By November 14th, AAR JAPAN had received 2,781 bags, which we are now distributing in the disaster-affected areas. Adults use our bags for shopping, while children use them for school.
12. Heart-Warming Chocolate Delivery Campaign
In cooperation with Rokkatei Confectionery Co., Ltd., AAR JAPAN has been delivering chocolate to evacuees in the disaster-affected areas. When people order chocolate for themselves, they also buy chocolate for people in the disaster-affected areas, writing a message to accompany their donation. As of December 23rd, 2011, we have delivered 384 packages of chocolate to evacuees at a temporary housing complex in Iitate Village, Fukushima Prefecture. The evacuees expressed great contentment with both the chocolate and the messages.
13. Charity Concerts
In cooperation with Support 21 Social Welfare Foundation, AAR JAPAN’s sister organization, we held a fund-raising concert at the Opera City Concert Hall in Tokyo on May 20th, 2011. Through concert revenues we provided 227 musical instruments to the following institutions, at an equivalent value of 35 million yen:
1. Takata Senior High School (Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture)
2. Takata Elementary School (Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture)
3. Kamaishi Higashi Junior High School (Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture)
4. Watanoba Junior High School (Ishinomaki Ciity,Miyagi Prefecture)
5. Minato Junior High School (Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture)
6. Kobunkan Senior High School (Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture)
7. Noda Junior High School (Noda Village, Iwate Prefecture)
8. Ishinomaki Brass Band Association (Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture)
On August 5th, 2011, we held another concert entitled “Concert of Heart: Hope” at Seinen Bunka Center in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, which many disaster survivors were able to enjoy for free.
On October 20th, 2011, AAR JAPAN co-hosted “Hope” at the Lyceum Theatre in Shanghai, China, where eight Shanghai-based musicians performed a concert supporting reconstruction in the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake. Led by Mr. Kaoru SHINSHI, the Shanghai-based Japanese volunteer group Friend played a vital role in the concert’s planning committee, which was headed by Mr. Hiroyoshi IKEDA of the Shanghai branch of MYTS Co., Ltd. AAR JAPAN’s Deputy Chairperson, Taki KATOH, presided at the concert.
14. “Let’s Bring Hot Springs to the Disaster Zone!” Project (Concluded)
In coordination with Manyo Club Co., Ltd. (Yokohama City, Kanagawa), Ascendia Inc.(Shinagawa Ward, Tokyo) and other companies, AAR JAPAN implemented the “Let’s Bring Hot Springs to the Disaster Zone!” Project. With the cooperation of Kanagawa Prefecture’s Yugawara Onsen (hot spring), on the first day of the project, April 9th, AAR JAPAN delivered hot spring water to four sites that were used as evacuation centers in Matsushima City, Miyagi Prefecture: Yamoto Dai-ichi Junior High School, Akai City Center, Ushiami Community Center, and Asai Civic Center. After April 12th, in partnership with Miyagi Prefecture’s Onikobe Onsen (hot spring), AAR JAPAN delivered hot spring water every day except Sundays to six evacuation centers: Yamoto Dai-ichi Junior High School (later divided into two locations), Ushiami Community Center, Akai City Center, Asai Civic Center, and Miyato Elementary School in Higashi-Matsushima City, as well as Ishinomaki Shoshin-kai Social Welfare Corporation in Ishinomaki City. These six delivery points enabled 500-600 evacuees to bathe every day, and AAR JAPAN provided the service until the end of May.
15. Shuttle Bus Service (Concluded)
In Miyagi, AAR JAPAN aided in the operation of a shuttle bus service on Ishinomaki City’s Oshika Peninsula, providing mobility for those who had lost their regular means of transportation. A light shuttle bus circulated twice a day in the Ogihama area and once a day in the Ayukawa area. Beginning April 10th, approximately 530 people in the Ogihama area and 220 people in the Ayukawa area used the buses. The service was concluded on June 4th after roads were repaired and normal bus lines resumed operation.
16. Mobile Clinics and Health-related Services (Concluded)
AAR JAPAN visited Makinohama, Takenohama, Kitsunezakihama, Sudachi, Fukkiura, Kozumihama, and Kobuchihama on the Oshika Peninsula, where approximately 640 survivors are taking shelter in their homes. Led by Dr. Toshiaki YASUDA, a local medical practitioner, AAR JAPAN’s medical team established a mobile clinic and implemented health-related services such as checking up on sufferers of chronic illnesses, preventing the spread of infectious diseases, and implementing psychological support. We examined a total of 817 people between March 19th, and September 18th, 2011 Home-care nurses visited an additional 387 people in temporary housing in Ishinomaki City between August 10th and September 15th, 2011. This service ended on September 30th, 2011 as local medical facilities resumed operation.
17. Sanitation Services (Concluded)
AAR JAPAN implemented sanitation services for approximately 1,000 people in evacuation centers in Ishinomaki City and Minami-sanriku Town, Miyagi Prefecture. As futons, blankets, and mattresses became dirty as a result of long-term use in evacuation centers, we dried them in the sun and collected old and dirty futons to be replaced with summer-season bedding. We also engaged in general cleaning in evacuation centers, where the summer rise in humidity and temperature led to deterioration in sanitary conditions, including a huge increase in flies and mosquitoes. AAR JAPAN also distributed futon driers, vacuum cleaners, dehumidifiers, cleaning equipment, insect repellent and insecticides (fly tape, mite killer, etc.) with instructions on their use. To reduce the risk of food poisoning, we delivered refrigerators to evacuation centers that lacked them. We implemented these efforts in 25 evacuation centers from June 14th, 2011 to August 31st, 2011. This service ended on August 31st, 2011.
18. Sportswear and Textbook Support for Students who Moved to Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture (Concluded)
In temporary housing complexes in Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture, people who evacuated from other areas in the prefecture (Minami-Soma City, Futaba Town, etc.) are settling into their new homes after a series of relocations. With each move, parents had to obtain new school sportswear and textbooks, which differ from school to school, when their children matriculated in local elementary schools. To ease the burden on parents, AAR JAPAN has been obtaining school sportswear and textbooks for students in Soma City, making distributions to 46 students between September and December 2011.
All of the relief efforts outlined above are based on financial and material aid from private companies, various organizations and associations, schools, and individuals as well as Japan Platform. While it would be impossible to introduce all of our individual supporters, we offer you our sincerest thanks. We deeply appreciate your generous and continued support.
AAR JAPAN
Bringing People in the Disaster-Affected Areas a Warm and Happy New Year
AAR JAPAN has been carrying out relief efforts for the victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake since the immediate aftermath of the disaster. In addition to delivering emergency supplies to those who have limited access to aid, such as persons with disabilities and the elderly, AAR JAPAN is also repairing welfare facilities and providing vehicles for facilities for persons with disabilities.
Temperatures in the disaster-affected areas continue to drop. In addition to distributing winter necessities to people living in temporary housing complexes and other displaced people, AAR JAPAN is now also preparing equipment for snow removal. In the face of news of elderly survivors dying alone in temporary housing, we are continuing to support the Building Healthy Communities Project, offering community interaction and exchange events for disaster survivors, many of whom all too easily end up spending their entire day isolated behind closed doors.
AAR JAPAN hopes to continue its support for the people of the disaster-affected areas, offering them a warm and happy New Year.
Below is a report on activities that AAR JAPAN’s supporters have enabled us to carry out in 2011:
AAR JAPAN’s Ongoing Projects in Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake
1. Delivering Relief to Families in Temporary Housing and Leased Housing in Fukushima Prefecture (approximately 35,000 families)
2. Support for Food Service at Schools in Minami-soma City, Fukushima Prefecture
3. Psychological Care for Children in Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture
4. Building Healthy Communities Project
5. Delivery of Relief Supplies
6. Soup Kitchens
7. Reconstruction of Facilities for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities
8. Vehicle Provision
9. Supporting Market Expansion for Products made by Persons with Disabilities
10. Container Housing Project
11. Hand-made Tote Bags Project
12. Charity Concerts
1. Delivering Relief to Families in Temporary Housing and Leased Housing in Fukushima Prefecture (approximately 35,000 families)
In cooperation with ADRA Japan, we have been supporting the day-to-day livelihoods of families living in temporary housing and subsidized housing in Fukushima Prefecture. As the Japanese Red Cross decided to distribute six-piece sets of home electrical appliances in earthquake- and tsunami-affected areas, AAR JAPAN has focused on providing items such as kitchenware, bathroom goods, vacuum cleaners, kotatsu (heated tables) and regular tables, kitchen cabinets, and so on, based on requests from municipal governments. We are targeting 13 municipalities in the Hamadori and Nakadori regions of Fukushima Prefecture: Soma City, Minami-soma City, Shinchi Town, Iitate Village, Tomioka Town, Kawauchi Village, Koriyama City, Sukagawa City, Kagamiishi Town, Shirakawa City, Nishigo Village, Yabuki Town, and Izumisaki Village. Following a request from the municipal governments of Minami-Soma City and Tomioka Town, both located within 20 km of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant, we are also providing supplies to survivors who have taken refuge in other prefectures.
In order to contribute to the economic recovery of the local communities, we are collaborating with the local Commerce and Industry Associations in 10 municipalities to source as many aid goods locally as possible. As of November 30th, we have completed the delivery of relief supplies to 21,719 households in the target area.
2. Support for Food Service at Schools in Minami-soma City, Fukushima Prefecture
AAR JAPAN provided vegetable juice and rice for approximately 2,800 schoolchildren in Kashima, Minami-Soma City. The Kashima area is just outside the restricted zone around Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant, and since the accident, many children who used to attend school closer to the plant have now been relocated here. From July 1st to 22nd, vegetable juice was provided to every schoolchild twice a week, and a total of 2 tons of rice was supplied for school meals. Kashima was also experiencing a shortage of vehicles for delivering food to schools, so AAR JAPAN secured rented vehicles for food delivery from August 23rd.
3. Psychological Care for Children (Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture)
AAR JAPAN has been supporting the SOMA Follower Team, a nonprofit organization formed by Soma City to provide psychological care for children. The six-person team includes clinical psychologists, psychiatric social workers, and healthcare workers who have been providing psychological care for students and their parents at affected kindergartens, elementary schools, and junior high schools in Soma City.
In November, the SOMA Follower Team started offering counseling at elementary schools near the 20-km exclusion zone, where radiation levels from the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant have not been deemed high enough for evacuation, but residents are advised to remain indoors as much as possible to limit their exposure. Here the children cannot play outside, and must remain inside during recess, lunch, and gym class, and they must also play indoors when they go home. At this time of year they would normally enjoy picking up chestnuts and colored leaves from the ground, but this year they cannot.
4. Building Healthy Communities Project
AAR JAPAN has been providing rehabilitation and health-related services, mobile clinics, sanitation services, psychological care, and community interaction and exchange events for roughly 3,000 people, focusing on persons with disabilities, the elderly, displaced people, and people staying in temporary housing in the disaster-affected areas of Miyagi and Iwate prefectures. Through these comprehensive efforts, AAR JAPAN continues to support people in the disaster zone as they work to maintain both their physical and mental health.
Rehabilitation Services
AAR JAPAN has been sending occupational therapists and physiotherapists to evacuation centers, senior care facilities, facilities for persons with disabilities, temporary housing, and individual homes in Miyagi and Iwate prefectures, offering rehabilitation visits and massages to 612 people from July 9th to November 26th.
Psychological Care
To mitigate stress both from the earthquake and from long-term evacuee life, AAR JAPAN has been sending counselors to evacuation centers, temporary housing units, and individual homes to provide psychological care. We provided counseling for 265 people between August 6th and December 3rd.
Community Interaction and Exchange Events
AAR JAPAN has been actively promoting community interaction and exchange events to help encourage the development of social ties in evacuation centers and temporary housing. In this effort, we have been organizing soup kitchens, delivering relief supplies, and providing rehabilitation services such as massages and aroma therapy. To date, we have organized or participated in events in the following locations:
- Festival at Wako Kindergarten in Shichi-ga-hama Town, Miyagi Prefecture (July 23rd)
- Bon Festival in Onagawa Town, Miyagi Prefecture (August 15th)
- Higashi-hama Elementary School on the Oshika Peninsula, Miyagi Prefecture (August 18th)
- Touni Town, Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture (August 20th)
- Otomo Town, Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture (August 20th)
- Offering aromatherapy at Higashi-hama Elementary School in Miyagi Prefecture (August 23rd)
- Workshop for persons with disabilities in Yamada Town, Chimohei County, Iwate Prefecture (August 26th)
- Temporary housing complex in Kasshi Town, Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture (August 27th)
- Temporary housing complex in Shichi-ga-hama Town, Miyagi Prefecture (August 28th)
- Temporary housing complex in Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture (September 11th)
- Gym of Nakano Junior High School in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture (September 17th)
- Day room in a temporary housing complex in Kashinai, Miyako City, Iwate Prefecture (September 24th)
- Temporary housing complex in Kuribayashi Town, Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture (September 25th)
- Gym of Nakano Junior High School in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture (September 25th)
- In front of a shop in Sakuragi Town, Otsuchi Town, Kamihei County, Iwate Prefecture (September 28th)
- Temporary housing complex in Kesen Town, Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture (October 2nd)
- Festival at Kurosaki Shrine in Hirota Town, Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture (October 9th)
- “Everyone’s Festival Bureiko” in Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture (October 10th)
- Dosen Subsidized Apartments in Kasshi Town, Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture (October 16th)
- Higashi-hama Elementary School in Iwate Prefecture (October 11th)
- Otsuchi Dai-kyu Temporary Housing Complex in Otsuchi Town, Kamihei County, Iwate Prefecture (October 23rd)
- Taki-no-Sato in Takekoma, Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture (October 25th)
- Nakano Sakae Community Center, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture (November 27th)
5. Delivery of Relief Supplies
Needs have altered as seasons change and people’s lives inch toward normalcy. AAR JAPAN is currently delivering portable power generators to persons with disabilities who rely on respirators to breathe. We have also been providing winter necessities for the harsh cold of the season.
Relief Supplies Delivered to Affected Areas from March 14th to November 30th, provided to 79,460 people in 1,284 locations
Areas of Distribution:
Miyagi Prefecture: Sendai City, Ishinomaki City, Kesen-numa City, Natori City, Tome City, Higashi-Matsushima City, Onagawa Town, Tagajo City, Iwanuma City, Minami-sanriku Town, Yamamoto Town, Shiogama City
Iwate Prefecture: Otsuchi Town, Ofunato City, Rikuzen-takata City, Kamaishi City, Yamada Town
Fukushima Prefecture: Soma City, Minami-Soma City
Yamagata Prefecture: Kamiyama City
Type of Facilities:
Evacuation centers, facilities for persons with disabilities, facilities for the elderly, social welfare councils, foster homes, shopping centers, social welfare corporations, volunteer centers, ambulatory facilities for the elderly, disaster countermeasures offices, temporary housing, evacuees’ homes, daycare centers, kindergartens, elementary schools, junior high schools, senior high schools, others.
Supplies Delivered:
Diesel oil (13,600 liters), Kerosene (4,400 liters), Gasoline (2,060 liters), Water (14 tons), Rice (2.5 tons), Milk (480 packs), Sweet-bean cakes (41,000 units), Vegetables (potatoes, carrots, onions, spinach, cabbage, radishes, green onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, chives, eggplants, kidney beans, edamame beans, pumpkins, burdock roots, taro, sweet potatoes, Chinese cabbage, corn, Japanese mustard spinach, dried shiitake and others), Fruit (mandarin oranges, bananas, watermelons, grapefruits, melons, etc.), Eggs, Other food (retort foods, food for the elderly, canned food, miso, soy sauce, dietary supplements, etc.), Blankets, Bedclothes, Underclothes, Clothes and scarves, Towels and hand cloths, Furoshiki wrapping cloths, Face masks, Hand warmers, Sleeping bags (3,400 units), Cold medicine and other medical supplies, Toothbrushes, Paper diapers, Adult diapers, Women’s sanitary products, Batteries, Baby products (baby food, pacifiers, feeding bottles, baby wipes, etc.), High-pressure washers (32 units), Chainsaws (30 units), Shovels, Boots, Books and picture books, Crayons, Cell phone chargers, Computer sets (37 units), Printers (2 units), Photocopying machines (5 units), Bicycles (294 units), Sputum aspirators (2 units), Care beds (31 units), Folding beds (2 units), Futon sets (30 units), Wheelchairs (21 units), Care chairs (2 units), Walkers (35 units), Power generators (3 units), Laundry machines (29 units), Drying machines (22 units), Refrigerators (28 units), Microwave ovens (7 units), Electric fans (51 units), Vacuum cleaners (44 units), Air cleaners (16 units), Rice cookers (8 units), Futon dehumidifiers (34 units), Reflective heaters (5 units), Kerosene heaters (2 units), Automatic blood pressure meters (34 units), Television sets (22 units), Dish dryers (2 units), Electric fans, Dehumidifiers, Weight scales, Clothes irons, Ironing tables, Rotary printing machines, Pull carts, Dollies, Audio players (10 units), Portable radios, Walking sticks, Cooking knives, Cutting boards, Small shelving units, Bookshelves, Clothing cases, Disinfectant spray, Hand soap, Reading glasses, Stuffed toys, Other toys, Thermos bottles, Digital cameras, DVD players, Video cameras, Mattresses, Sheets, Cotton blankets, Pesticides, Bug repellant, Mosquito nets, Toilet paper, Laundry detergent, Kitchen detergent, Toilet soap, Laundry baskets, Hangers, Cleaning buckets, Paper dishes, Notebooks, Copy paper, Tinfoil and cling wrap, Grass-cutting scythes, Grass cutters, Cucumber seedlings, Tomato seedlings, Flower seedlings, Screen windows, Laundry poles, Summer clothes, Rubber boots, Sandals, Slippers, Ice packs, Neck coolers, Inflatable play pools, Nutritional supplements, Umbrellas, Taisho harp sets, Electric piano sets, Keyboards, Taiko drums, Tea ceremony sets, Other small musical instruments, Sewing machines, Scarves, Sweaters, Jackets and other winter clothes, Farming boots, Garden supplies, Table tennis sets, Electrical generators (7 units), Foot-operated aspirators, Hearing aids, Braille printers, Cultivators, Air purifiers, Heated carpets, Rugs, Kotatsu (heated table) sets, Gas and electric heaters, Hot water bottles, Electric blankets, Down jackets, Fleeces, others.
6. Soup Kitchens
In coordination with Ingram Co., Ltd., which is responsible for the Peace Project, AAR JAPAN has been organizing soup kitchens in Miyagi, Iwate, and Fukushima prefectures. The project began on March 31st, and as of November 25th, AAR JAPAN held soup kitchens in the following locations. Since August, the soup kitchens have been operated as part of the Building Healthy Communities Project.
Soup Kitchen Locations (25,121 meals served in 72 locations)
Miyagi Prefecture: Watanoha, Aikawa, Kitakami, and Ayukawa areas (Oshika Peninsula) in Ishinomaki City; Wakabayashi District in Sendai City; Tagajo City; Shizugawa and Utatsu in Minami-sanriku Town; Niitsuki, Shishiori, and Omose areas in Kesen-numa City
Iwate Prefecture: Kamaishi City, Rikuzen-takata City, Taro Town in Miyako City, Yamada Town, Otsuchi Town
Fukushima Prefecture: Haramachi Ward in Minami-Soma City
Menu:
Tokushima ramen, Oden, Beef stew, Yakisoba (fried noodles), Fried chicken, Vegetable sticks, Chukadon (Chinese-style stir-fried meat and vegetables on rice), Beef steak, Onion soup, Tuna sashimi on rice, Chanko-nabe (hot pot), Apple pie, Onion sauté, Minestrone, Ground chicken with egg and vegetables on rice, Fish miso soup, Hijiki seaweed mix, Fried sweet potato, Cabbage rolls, Mixed bean-curd lees and vegetables, Autumn rice, Pork miso soup, Stewed fish, Cabbage and spinach side dishes, Somen noodles, Minced fish soup, Hand-made sweet potato pies, Hand-made langue du chats, Samgyetang (Korean chicken ginseng soup), Yakitori (grilled chicken), Miso soup with tofu and shimeji mushrooms, Stewed meat and potatoes, Boiled komatsuna (Japanese mustard spinach), Pasta with meat sauce, Potato salad, Miso soup with Chinese cabbage and shiitake mushrooms, Boiled field mustard, Inarizushi (fried tofu stuffed with venerated rice), Cooked radish and minced meat, Kashiwa mochi (rice cake wrapped in oak leaf), Fried whitefish, Miso soup with radish, Radish salad, Fruit Jell-O, Udon noodles, Almond Jell-O, Stir-fried meat with vegetables, Gyoza (Chinese dumplings), Borscht, Miso soup with clams, Marinated octopus, Miso soup with cabbage and Japanese mustard spinach, Raw squid with wasabi, Seafood curry and rice (with scallops, clams and shrimp), Japanese sweets and amazake (sweet mild sake), Charcoal-broiled fish, Kakigori (shaved ice with flavored syrup), Grilled corn, Kitsune udon, Okonomiyaki (Japanese pancakes), Japanese dace, Daikon-oroshi (grated Japanese radish), Pickled vegetables, Unaju (grilled eel on rice), Vegetables pickled in sake lees, Miso soup with wakame seaweed and green onion, Rice-fed pork from Sumida Town grilled with local vegetables on rice, Tada farm cheese pudding, Rice balls with chestnuts, Soba with tempura, etc.
7. Reconstruction of Facilities for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities
In coordination with local construction companies, AAR JAPAN has been repairing senior care centers and facilities for persons with disabilities in approximately 60 locations to accelerate resumption of services. From April 21st to November 30th, AAR JAPAN repaired and provided equipment to the following social welfare facilities and NGOs:
1. Rubert (Operated by Minori-kai, Natori City, Miyagi Prefecture)
2. Clovers Pier Wasse (Operated by Shinwa-kai, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
3. Workshop Himawari (Operated by Senshin-kai Yume-no-mori, Kesen-numa City, Miyagi Prefecture)
4. Gin-no-hoshi (Operated by Yamoto-aiiku-kai, Higashi-Matsushima City, Miyagi Prefecture)
5. Kurihara-shuho-kai (Kurihara City, Miyagi Prefecture)
6. Himawari Family (Operated by Fureai-no-mori, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
7. Echo Ryouiku-en (Operated by Yoko Fukushi-kai, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
8. Coconet Autism Peering Center (Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
9. Miyama-sou Special Nursing Home (Operated by Seiwa-kai, Yamamoto Town, Watari County, Miyagi Prefecture)
10. Kamuri Gakuen (Operated by Aisen-kai, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
11. Daimatsu Gakuen (Operated by Hoshin-kai, Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture)
12. Group Home Kamikuri-sou (Operated by Kamaishi Kyosei-kai, Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture)
13. Yoshihama-sou (Operated by Aisei-kai, Ofunato City, Iwate Prefecture)
14. Kojuen (Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture)
15. Lumbini-en (Operated by Korin-kai, Hanamaki City, Iwate Prefecture)
16. Asunaro Home (Operated by Sansan-kai, Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture)
17. Yamada Kyosei Workshop (Operated by Yamada Kyosei-kai, Yamada Town, Shimohei County, Iwate Prefecture)
18. Taiyou-kai (Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture)
19. Machikado Counseling Link Matsubara Home (Operated by Aiiku-kai Social Welfare Corporation, Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture)
20. Care Home Megumi (Kesen-numa City, Miyagi Prefecture)
21. Harakara Fukushi-kai (Shibata Town, Shibata County, Miyagi Prefecture)
22. Cosmos House (Operated by Shiraishi Yoko Gakuen, Shiraishi City, Miyagi Prefecture)
23. Sakurambo Club (Tome City, Miyagi Prefecture)
24. Shiraishi Jukouen (Operated by Shiraishi Yoko Gakuen, Shiraishi City, Miyagi Prefecture)
25. Zao Suzushiro (Operated by Harakara Fukushi-kai, Zao Town, Katta County, Miyagi Prefecture)
26. Hatamaki Kyodo Workshop (Operated by Harakara Fukushi-kai, Igu County, Miyagi Prefecture)
27. Riverside Song, Song of the Surf, Seaside Song (Operated by Dreamers’ Home, Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture)
28. Izumi Workshop (Operated by Aiko Fukushi Kyokai, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
29. Fukushi Net ABC (Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
30. Hoyu-kan (Operated by Taiyo-kai, Ofunato City, Iwate Prefecture)
31. Sendai Tsudoi House Koppel (Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
32. Nakata Sun Farm (Tome City, Miyagi Prefecture)
Reconstruction Sites:
Miyagi Prefecture:
37 locations (14 in Sendai City, 2 in Shiraishi City, 4 in Kesen-numa City, 1 in Tome City, 1 in Higashi-Matsushima City, 4 in Natori City, 1 in Kurihara City, 2 in Ishinomaki City, 1 in Shiogama City, 2 in Yamamoto Town, 2 in Minami-sanriku Town, 1 in Zao Town, 1 in Marumori Town, 1 in Shibata Town)
Iwate Prefecture:
23 locations (4 in Ofunato City, 5 in Rikuzen-takata City, 6 in Kamaishi City, 1 in Hanamaki City, 2 in Otsuchi Town, 2 in Yamada Town, 1 in Miyako City, 2 in Tanohata Village)
AAR JAPAN will continue the reconstruction of facilities for persons with disabilities and senior care facilities in the disaster-affected areas of Miyagi and Iwate prefectures in coordination with each prefecture’s welfare division, social welfare council, and other related organizations.
8. Vehicle Provision
AAR JAPAN has been providing vehicles as vital means of transportation for people who make use of welfare facilities. AAR JAPAN has provided the following vehicles:
1. One (1) van – Nozomi Fukushi Workshop (Operated by Senshin-kai, Minami-sanriku Town, Miyagi Prefecture)
2. One (1) mini-vehicle – Huck’s House (Tanohata Village, Shimohei County, Iwate Prefecture)
3. One (1) van – Kujira-no-shippo (Operated by Ishinomaki Shoshin-kai, Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture)
4. One (1) mini-vehicle – Kick-off Career and Life Support Center for Persons with Disabilities (Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture)
5. One (1) van – Work House Atelier Sun (Miyako City, Iwate Prefecture)
6. One (1) elderly-care taxi – Yamazaki Taxi (Yamada Town, Shimohei County, Iwate Prefecture)
7. One (1) compact car – Hikami-no-sono (Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture)
8. One (1) mini-van – Group Home Kibogaoka (Operated by Harmony Utatsu, Minami-sanriku City, Motoyoshi County, Miyagi Prefecture)
9. Three (3) vehicles – Sasae-ai Yamamoto (Yamamoto Town, Watari County, Miyagi Prefecture)
10. One (1) mini-vehicle – Warabi Gakuen (Otsuchi Town, Kamihei County, Iwate Prefecture)
11. One (1) mini-vehicle – Kamaishi Workshop (Chidori Town, Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture)
12. One (1) van – Suzuran-to-Katatsumuri (Takekoma Town, Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture)
13. One (1) vehicle – Madoka Arahama (Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
14. One (1) elderly care taxi – Otsuchi Taxi (Otsuchi Town, Iwate Prefecture)
9. Supporting Market Expansion for Products made by Persons with Disabilities
AAR JAPAN supports various workshops for persons with disabilities, many of which raise funds by selling products such as home-made sweets in their local area. Sales in the disaster-affected areas have decreased sharply since the Great East Japan Earthquake, and AAR JAPAN has been supporting the exploration of new markets for these welfare facilities’ products. We are currently supporting the following facilities:
1. Harakara Fukushi-kai (Shibata Town, Shibata County, Miyagi Prefecture)
2. Kurihara-shuho-kai (Kurihara City, Miyagi Prefecture)
3. Smile Workshop (Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
4. Kamuri Gakuen (Operated by Aisen-kai, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
5. Fukushi Net ABC (Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
6. Shomatsu-kan (Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture)
7. Asunaro Home (Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture)
8. Miyako Work Station (Miyako City, Miyagi Prefecture)
9. Kamaishi City Fukushi Workshop (Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture)
10. Warabi Gakuen (Otsuchi Town, Kamihei County, Iwate Prefecture)
11. Hoyu-kan (Ofunato City, Iwate Prefecture)
10. Container Housing Project
At the recommendation of international journalist Izuru SUGAWARA, AAR JAPAN has been providing easy-to-build prefabricated container housing units in the disaster zone. To date, we have installed 43 units in Onagawa Town in Oshika County and in Minami-sanriku Town, Miyagi Prefecture, and in Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture. These container housing units are being used by evacuees as private residences and small shops.
11. Hand-made Tote Bags Project
AAR JAPAN collected hand-made tote bags in response to requests from people in evacuation centers and senior care facilities for bags in which to carry their personal belongings. By May 20th, AAR JAPAN had received 5,000 bags from inside and outside of Japan. Volunteers helped to attach AAR JAPAN’s “Sunny-chan” mascot straps to the bags and deliver them to evacuees, with a special focus on the elderly. Survivors who received the bags were pleased not only with the bags themselves, but also with the various encouraging messages written inside.
The project was such a success that AAR JAPAN began collecting bags again in October. As of November 14th, AAR JAPAN had received 2,781 bags, which we are now distributing in the disaster-affected areas.
12. Charity Concerts
In cooperation with Support 21 Social Welfare Foundation, AAR JAPAN’s sister organization, we held a fund-raising concert at the Opera City Concert Hall in Tokyo on May 20th. Through concert revenues we provided 227 musical instruments to the following institutions, at an equivalent value of 35 million yen:
Takata Senior High School (Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture), Takata Elementary School (Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture), Kamaishi Higashi Junior High School (Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture), Watanoba Junior High School (Ishinomaki Ciity,Miyagi Prefecture), Minato Junior High School (Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture), Kobunkan Senior High School (Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture), Noda Junior High School (Noda Village, Iwate Prefecture), Ishinomaki Brass Band Association (Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture)
On August 5th we held another concert entitled “Concert of Heart: Hope” at Seinen Bunka Center in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, which many disaster survivors were able to enjoy for free.
On October 20th, AAR JAPAN co-hosted “Hope” at the Lyceum Theatre in Shanghai, China, where eight Shanghai-based musicians performed a concert supporting reconstruction in the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake. Led by Mr. Kaoru SHINSHI, the Shanghai-based Japanese volunteer group Friend played a vital role in the concert’s planning committee, which was headed by Mr. Hiroyoshi IKEDA of the Shanghai branch of MYTS Co., Ltd. AAR JAPAN’s Deputy Chairperson, Taki KATOH, guided the audience through the concert as the master of ceremony.
Note: All of the relief efforts outlined above are based on financial and material aid from private companies, various organizations and associations, schools, individuals as well as Japan Platform. While it would be impossible to introduce all of our individual supporters, we offer you our sincerest thanks. We deeply appreciate your generous and continued support.
AAR JAPAN
Bringing People in the Disaster-Affected Areas a Warm and Happy New Year
AAR JAPAN has been carrying out relief efforts for the victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake since the immediate aftermath of the disaster. In addition to delivering emergency supplies to those who have limited access to aid, such as persons with disabilities and the elderly, AAR JAPAN is also repairing welfare facilities and providing vehicles for facilities for persons with disabilities.
Temperatures in the disaster-affected areas continue to drop. In addition to distributing winter necessities to people living in temporary housing complexes and other displaced people, AAR JAPAN is now also preparing equipment for snow removal. In the face of news of elderly survivors dying alone in temporary housing, we are continuing to support the Building Healthy Communities Project, offering community interaction and exchange events for disaster survivors, many of whom all too easily end up spending their entire day isolated behind closed doors.
AAR JAPAN hopes to continue its support for the people of the disaster-affected areas, offering them a warm and happy New Year.
Below is a report on activities that AAR JAPAN’s supporters have enabled us to carry out in 2011:
AAR JAPAN’s Ongoing Projects in Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake
1. Delivering Relief to Families in Temporary Housing and Leased Housing in Fukushima Prefecture (approximately 35,000 families)
2. Support for Food Service at Schools in Minami-soma City, Fukushima Prefecture
3. Psychological Care for Children in Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture
4. Building Healthy Communities Project
5. Delivery of Relief Supplies
6. Soup Kitchens
7. Reconstruction of Facilities for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities
8. Vehicle Provision
9. Supporting Market Expansion for Products made by Persons with Disabilities
10. Container Housing Project
11. Hand-made Tote Bags Project
12. Charity Concerts
1. Delivering Relief to Families in Temporary Housing and Leased Housing in Fukushima Prefecture (approximately 35,000 families)
In cooperation with ADRA Japan, we have been supporting the day-to-day livelihoods of families living in temporary housing and subsidized housing in Fukushima Prefecture. As the Japanese Red Cross decided to distribute six-piece sets of home electrical appliances in earthquake- and tsunami-affected areas, AAR JAPAN has focused on providing items such as kitchenware, bathroom goods, vacuum cleaners, kotatsu (heated tables) and regular tables, kitchen cabinets, and so on, based on requests from municipal governments. We are targeting 13 municipalities in the Hamadori and Nakadori regions of Fukushima Prefecture: Soma City, Minami-soma City, Shinchi Town, Iitate Village, Tomioka Town, Kawauchi Village, Koriyama City, Sukagawa City, Kagamiishi Town, Shirakawa City, Nishigo Village, Yabuki Town, and Izumisaki Village. Following a request from the municipal governments of Minami-Soma City and Tomioka Town, both located within 20 km of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant, we are also providing supplies to survivors who have taken refuge in other prefectures.
In order to contribute to the economic recovery of the local communities, we are collaborating with the local Commerce and Industry Associations in 10 municipalities to source as many aid goods locally as possible. As of November 30th, we have completed the delivery of relief supplies to 21,719 households in the target area.
2. Support for Food Service at Schools in Minami-soma City, Fukushima Prefecture
AAR JAPAN provided vegetable juice and rice for approximately 2,800 schoolchildren in Kashima, Minami-Soma City. The Kashima area is just outside the restricted zone around Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant, and since the accident, many children who used to attend school closer to the plant have now been relocated here. From July 1st to 22nd, vegetable juice was provided to every schoolchild twice a week, and a total of 2 tons of rice was supplied for school meals. Kashima was also experiencing a shortage of vehicles for delivering food to schools, so AAR JAPAN secured rented vehicles for food delivery from August 23rd.
3. Psychological Care for Children (Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture)
AAR JAPAN has been supporting the SOMA Follower Team, a nonprofit organization formed by Soma City to provide psychological care for children. The six-person team includes clinical psychologists, psychiatric social workers, and healthcare workers who have been providing psychological care for students and their parents at affected kindergartens, elementary schools, and junior high schools in Soma City.
In November, the SOMA Follower Team started offering counseling at elementary schools near the 20-km exclusion zone, where radiation levels from the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant have not been deemed high enough for evacuation, but residents are advised to remain indoors as much as possible to limit their exposure. Here the children cannot play outside, and must remain inside during recess, lunch, and gym class, and they must also play indoors when they go home. At this time of year they would normally enjoy picking up chestnuts and colored leaves from the ground, but this year they cannot.
4. Building Healthy Communities Project
AAR JAPAN has been providing rehabilitation and health-related services, mobile clinics, sanitation services, psychological care, and community interaction and exchange events for roughly 3,000 people, focusing on persons with disabilities, the elderly, displaced people, and people staying in temporary housing in the disaster-affected areas of Miyagi and Iwate prefectures. Through these comprehensive efforts, AAR JAPAN continues to support people in the disaster zone as they work to maintain both their physical and mental health.
Rehabilitation Services
AAR JAPAN has been sending occupational therapists and physiotherapists to evacuation centers, senior care facilities, facilities for persons with disabilities, temporary housing, and individual homes in Miyagi and Iwate prefectures, offering rehabilitation visits and massages to 612 people from July 9th to November 26th.
Psychological Care
To mitigate stress both from the earthquake and from long-term evacuee life, AAR JAPAN has been sending counselors to evacuation centers, temporary housing units, and individual homes to provide psychological care. We provided counseling for 265 people between August 6th and December 3rd.
Community Interaction and Exchange Events
AAR JAPAN has been actively promoting community interaction and exchange events to help encourage the development of social ties in evacuation centers and temporary housing. In this effort, we have been organizing soup kitchens, delivering relief supplies, and providing rehabilitation services such as massages and aroma therapy. To date, we have organized or participated in events in the following locations:
- Festival at Wako Kindergarten in Shichi-ga-hama Town, Miyagi Prefecture (July 23rd)
- Bon Festival in Onagawa Town, Miyagi Prefecture (August 15th)
- Higashi-hama Elementary School on the Oshika Peninsula, Miyagi Prefecture (August 18th)
- Touni Town, Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture (August 20th)
- Otomo Town, Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture (August 20th)
- Offering aromatherapy at Higashi-hama Elementary School in Miyagi Prefecture (August 23rd)
- Workshop for persons with disabilities in Yamada Town, Chimohei County, Iwate Prefecture (August 26th)
- Temporary housing complex in Kasshi Town, Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture (August 27th)
- Temporary housing complex in Shichi-ga-hama Town, Miyagi Prefecture (August 28th)
- Temporary housing complex in Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture (September 11th)
- Gym of Nakano Junior High School in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture (September 17th)
- Day room in a temporary housing complex in Kashinai, Miyako City, Iwate Prefecture (September 24th)
- Temporary housing complex in Kuribayashi Town, Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture (September 25th)
- Gym of Nakano Junior High School in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture (September 25th)
- In front of a shop in Sakuragi Town, Otsuchi Town, Kamihei County, Iwate Prefecture (September 28th)
- Temporary housing complex in Kesen Town, Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture (October 2nd)
- Festival at Kurosaki Shrine in Hirota Town, Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture (October 9th)
- “Everyone’s Festival Bureiko” in Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture (October 10th)
- Dosen Subsidized Apartments in Kasshi Town, Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture (October 16th)
- Higashi-hama Elementary School in Iwate Prefecture (October 11th)
- Otsuchi Dai-kyu Temporary Housing Complex in Otsuchi Town, Kamihei County, Iwate Prefecture (October 23rd)
- Taki-no-Sato in Takekoma, Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture (October 25th)
- Nakano Sakae Community Center, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture (November 27th)
5. Delivery of Relief Supplies
Needs have altered as seasons change and people’s lives inch toward normalcy. AAR JAPAN is currently delivering portable power generators to persons with disabilities who rely on respirators to breathe. We have also been providing winter necessities for the harsh cold of the season.
Relief Supplies Delivered to Affected Areas from March 14th to November 30th, provided to 79,460 people in 1,284 locations
Areas of Distribution:
Miyagi Prefecture: Sendai City, Ishinomaki City, Kesen-numa City, Natori City, Tome City, Higashi-Matsushima City, Onagawa Town, Tagajo City, Iwanuma City, Minami-sanriku Town, Yamamoto Town, Shiogama City
Iwate Prefecture: Otsuchi Town, Ofunato City, Rikuzen-takata City, Kamaishi City, Yamada Town
Fukushima Prefecture: Soma City, Minami-Soma City
Yamagata Prefecture: Kamiyama City
Type of Facilities:
Evacuation centers, facilities for persons with disabilities, facilities for the elderly, social welfare councils, foster homes, shopping centers, social welfare corporations, volunteer centers, ambulatory facilities for the elderly, disaster countermeasures offices, temporary housing, evacuees’ homes, daycare centers, kindergartens, elementary schools, junior high schools, senior high schools, others.
Supplies Delivered:
Diesel oil (13,600 liters), Kerosene (4,400 liters), Gasoline (2,060 liters), Water (14 tons), Rice (2.5 tons), Milk (480 packs), Sweet-bean cakes (41,000 units), Vegetables (potatoes, carrots, onions, spinach, cabbage, radishes, green onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, chives, eggplants, kidney beans, edamame beans, pumpkins, burdock roots, taro, sweet potatoes, Chinese cabbage, corn, Japanese mustard spinach, dried shiitake and others), Fruit (mandarin oranges, bananas, watermelons, grapefruits, melons, etc.), Eggs, Other food (retort foods, food for the elderly, canned food, miso, soy sauce, dietary supplements, etc.), Blankets, Bedclothes, Underclothes, Clothes and scarves, Towels and hand cloths, Furoshiki wrapping cloths, Face masks, Hand warmers, Sleeping bags (3,400 units), Cold medicine and other medical supplies, Toothbrushes, Paper diapers, Adult diapers, Women’s sanitary products, Batteries, Baby products (baby food, pacifiers, feeding bottles, baby wipes, etc.), High-pressure washers (32 units), Chainsaws (30 units), Shovels, Boots, Books and picture books, Crayons, Cell phone chargers, Computer sets (37 units), Printers (2 units), Photocopying machines (5 units), Bicycles (294 units), Sputum aspirators (2 units), Care beds (31 units), Folding beds (2 units), Futon sets (30 units), Wheelchairs (21 units), Care chairs (2 units), Walkers (35 units), Power generators (3 units), Laundry machines (29 units), Drying machines (22 units), Refrigerators (28 units), Microwave ovens (7 units), Electric fans (51 units), Vacuum cleaners (44 units), Air cleaners (16 units), Rice cookers (8 units), Futon dehumidifiers (34 units), Reflective heaters (5 units), Kerosene heaters (2 units), Automatic blood pressure meters (34 units), Television sets (22 units), Dish dryers (2 units), Electric fans, Dehumidifiers, Weight scales, Clothes irons, Ironing tables, Rotary printing machines, Pull carts, Dollies, Audio players (10 units), Portable radios, Walking sticks, Cooking knives, Cutting boards, Small shelving units, Bookshelves, Clothing cases, Disinfectant spray, Hand soap, Reading glasses, Stuffed toys, Other toys, Thermos bottles, Digital cameras, DVD players, Video cameras, Mattresses, Sheets, Cotton blankets, Pesticides, Bug repellant, Mosquito nets, Toilet paper, Laundry detergent, Kitchen detergent, Toilet soap, Laundry baskets, Hangers, Cleaning buckets, Paper dishes, Notebooks, Copy paper, Tinfoil and cling wrap, Grass-cutting scythes, Grass cutters, Cucumber seedlings, Tomato seedlings, Flower seedlings, Screen windows, Laundry poles, Summer clothes, Rubber boots, Sandals, Slippers, Ice packs, Neck coolers, Inflatable play pools, Nutritional supplements, Umbrellas, Taisho harp sets, Electric piano sets, Keyboards, Taiko drums, Tea ceremony sets, Other small musical instruments, Sewing machines, Scarves, Sweaters, Jackets and other winter clothes, Farming boots, Garden supplies, Table tennis sets, Electrical generators (7 units), Foot-operated aspirators, Hearing aids, Braille printers, Cultivators, Air purifiers, Heated carpets, Rugs, Kotatsu (heated table) sets, Gas and electric heaters, Hot water bottles, Electric blankets, Down jackets, Fleeces, others.
6. Soup Kitchens
In coordination with Ingram Co., Ltd., which is responsible for the Peace Project, AAR JAPAN has been organizing soup kitchens in Miyagi, Iwate, and Fukushima prefectures. The project began on March 31st, and as of November 25th, AAR JAPAN held soup kitchens in the following locations. Since August, the soup kitchens have been operated as part of the Building Healthy Communities Project.
Soup Kitchen Locations (25,121 meals served in 72 locations)
Miyagi Prefecture: Watanoha, Aikawa, Kitakami, and Ayukawa areas (Oshika Peninsula) in Ishinomaki City; Wakabayashi District in Sendai City; Tagajo City; Shizugawa and Utatsu in Minami-sanriku Town; Niitsuki, Shishiori, and Omose areas in Kesen-numa City
Iwate Prefecture: Kamaishi City, Rikuzen-takata City, Taro Town in Miyako City, Yamada Town, Otsuchi Town
Fukushima Prefecture: Haramachi Ward in Minami-Soma City
Menu:
Tokushima ramen, Oden, Beef stew, Yakisoba (fried noodles), Fried chicken, Vegetable sticks, Chukadon (Chinese-style stir-fried meat and vegetables on rice), Beef steak, Onion soup, Tuna sashimi on rice, Chanko-nabe (hot pot), Apple pie, Onion sauté, Minestrone, Ground chicken with egg and vegetables on rice, Fish miso soup, Hijiki seaweed mix, Fried sweet potato, Cabbage rolls, Mixed bean-curd lees and vegetables, Autumn rice, Pork miso soup, Stewed fish, Cabbage and spinach side dishes, Somen noodles, Minced fish soup, Hand-made sweet potato pies, Hand-made langue du chats, Samgyetang (Korean chicken ginseng soup), Yakitori (grilled chicken), Miso soup with tofu and shimeji mushrooms, Stewed meat and potatoes, Boiled komatsuna (Japanese mustard spinach), Pasta with meat sauce, Potato salad, Miso soup with Chinese cabbage and shiitake mushrooms, Boiled field mustard, Inarizushi (fried tofu stuffed with venerated rice), Cooked radish and minced meat, Kashiwa mochi (rice cake wrapped in oak leaf), Fried whitefish, Miso soup with radish, Radish salad, Fruit Jell-O, Udon noodles, Almond Jell-O, Stir-fried meat with vegetables, Gyoza (Chinese dumplings), Borscht, Miso soup with clams, Marinated octopus, Miso soup with cabbage and Japanese mustard spinach, Raw squid with wasabi, Seafood curry and rice (with scallops, clams and shrimp), Japanese sweets and amazake (sweet mild sake), Charcoal-broiled fish, Kakigori (shaved ice with flavored syrup), Grilled corn, Kitsune udon, Okonomiyaki (Japanese pancakes), Japanese dace, Daikon-oroshi (grated Japanese radish), Pickled vegetables, Unaju (grilled eel on rice), Vegetables pickled in sake lees, Miso soup with wakame seaweed and green onion, Rice-fed pork from Sumida Town grilled with local vegetables on rice, Tada farm cheese pudding, Rice balls with chestnuts, Soba with tempura, etc.
7. Reconstruction of Facilities for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities
In coordination with local construction companies, AAR JAPAN has been repairing senior care centers and facilities for persons with disabilities in approximately 60 locations to accelerate resumption of services. From April 21st to November 30th, AAR JAPAN repaired and provided equipment to the following social welfare facilities and NGOs:
1. Rubert (Operated by Minori-kai, Natori City, Miyagi Prefecture)
2. Clovers Pier Wasse (Operated by Shinwa-kai, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
3. Workshop Himawari (Operated by Senshin-kai Yume-no-mori, Kesen-numa City, Miyagi Prefecture)
4. Gin-no-hoshi (Operated by Yamoto-aiiku-kai, Higashi-Matsushima City, Miyagi Prefecture)
5. Kurihara-shuho-kai (Kurihara City, Miyagi Prefecture)
6. Himawari Family (Operated by Fureai-no-mori, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
7. Echo Ryouiku-en (Operated by Yoko Fukushi-kai, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
8. Coconet Autism Peering Center (Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
9. Miyama-sou Special Nursing Home (Operated by Seiwa-kai, Yamamoto Town, Watari County, Miyagi Prefecture)
10. Kamuri Gakuen (Operated by Aisen-kai, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
11. Daimatsu Gakuen (Operated by Hoshin-kai, Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture)
12. Group Home Kamikuri-sou (Operated by Kamaishi Kyosei-kai, Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture)
13. Yoshihama-sou (Operated by Aisei-kai, Ofunato City, Iwate Prefecture)
14. Kojuen (Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture)
15. Lumbini-en (Operated by Korin-kai, Hanamaki City, Iwate Prefecture)
16. Asunaro Home (Operated by Sansan-kai, Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture)
17. Yamada Kyosei Workshop (Operated by Yamada Kyosei-kai, Yamada Town, Shimohei County, Iwate Prefecture)
18. Taiyou-kai (Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture)
19. Machikado Counseling Link Matsubara Home (Operated by Aiiku-kai Social Welfare Corporation, Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture)
20. Care Home Megumi (Kesen-numa City, Miyagi Prefecture)
21. Harakara Fukushi-kai (Shibata Town, Shibata County, Miyagi Prefecture)
22. Cosmos House (Operated by Shiraishi Yoko Gakuen, Shiraishi City, Miyagi Prefecture)
23. Sakurambo Club (Tome City, Miyagi Prefecture)
24. Shiraishi Jukouen (Operated by Shiraishi Yoko Gakuen, Shiraishi City, Miyagi Prefecture)
25. Zao Suzushiro (Operated by Harakara Fukushi-kai, Zao Town, Katta County, Miyagi Prefecture)
26. Hatamaki Kyodo Workshop (Operated by Harakara Fukushi-kai, Igu County, Miyagi Prefecture)
27. Riverside Song, Song of the Surf, Seaside Song (Operated by Dreamers’ Home, Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture)
28. Izumi Workshop (Operated by Aiko Fukushi Kyokai, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
29. Fukushi Net ABC (Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
30. Hoyu-kan (Operated by Taiyo-kai, Ofunato City, Iwate Prefecture)
31. Sendai Tsudoi House Koppel (Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
32. Nakata Sun Farm (Tome City, Miyagi Prefecture)
Reconstruction Sites:
Miyagi Prefecture:
37 locations (14 in Sendai City, 2 in Shiraishi City, 4 in Kesen-numa City, 1 in Tome City, 1 in Higashi-Matsushima City, 4 in Natori City, 1 in Kurihara City, 2 in Ishinomaki City, 1 in Shiogama City, 2 in Yamamoto Town, 2 in Minami-sanriku Town, 1 in Zao Town, 1 in Marumori Town, 1 in Shibata Town)
Iwate Prefecture:
23 locations (4 in Ofunato City, 5 in Rikuzen-takata City, 6 in Kamaishi City, 1 in Hanamaki City, 2 in Otsuchi Town, 2 in Yamada Town, 1 in Miyako City, 2 in Tanohata Village)
AAR JAPAN will continue the reconstruction of facilities for persons with disabilities and senior care facilities in the disaster-affected areas of Miyagi and Iwate prefectures in coordination with each prefecture’s welfare division, social welfare council, and other related organizations.
8. Vehicle Provision
AAR JAPAN has been providing vehicles as vital means of transportation for people who make use of welfare facilities. AAR JAPAN has provided the following vehicles:
1. One (1) van – Nozomi Fukushi Workshop (Operated by Senshin-kai, Minami-sanriku Town, Miyagi Prefecture)
2. One (1) mini-vehicle – Huck’s House (Tanohata Village, Shimohei County, Iwate Prefecture)
3. One (1) van – Kujira-no-shippo (Operated by Ishinomaki Shoshin-kai, Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture)
4. One (1) mini-vehicle – Kick-off Career and Life Support Center for Persons with Disabilities (Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture)
5. One (1) van – Work House Atelier Sun (Miyako City, Iwate Prefecture)
6. One (1) elderly-care taxi – Yamazaki Taxi (Yamada Town, Shimohei County, Iwate Prefecture)
7. One (1) compact car – Hikami-no-sono (Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture)
8. One (1) mini-van – Group Home Kibogaoka (Operated by Harmony Utatsu, Minami-sanriku City, Motoyoshi County, Miyagi Prefecture)
9. Three (3) vehicles – Sasae-ai Yamamoto (Yamamoto Town, Watari County, Miyagi Prefecture)
10. One (1) mini-vehicle – Warabi Gakuen (Otsuchi Town, Kamihei County, Iwate Prefecture)
11. One (1) mini-vehicle – Kamaishi Workshop (Chidori Town, Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture)
12. One (1) van – Suzuran-to-Katatsumuri (Takekoma Town, Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture)
13. One (1) vehicle – Madoka Arahama (Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
14. One (1) elderly care taxi – Otsuchi Taxi (Otsuchi Town, Iwate Prefecture)
9. Supporting Market Expansion for Products made by Persons with Disabilities
AAR JAPAN supports various workshops for persons with disabilities, many of which raise funds by selling products such as home-made sweets in their local area. Sales in the disaster-affected areas have decreased sharply since the Great East Japan Earthquake, and AAR JAPAN has been supporting the exploration of new markets for these welfare facilities’ products. We are currently supporting the following facilities:
1. Harakara Fukushi-kai (Shibata Town, Shibata County, Miyagi Prefecture)
2. Kurihara-shuho-kai (Kurihara City, Miyagi Prefecture)
3. Smile Workshop (Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
4. Kamuri Gakuen (Operated by Aisen-kai, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
5. Fukushi Net ABC (Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
6. Shomatsu-kan (Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture)
7. Asunaro Home (Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture)
8. Miyako Work Station (Miyako City, Miyagi Prefecture)
9. Kamaishi City Fukushi Workshop (Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture)
10. Warabi Gakuen (Otsuchi Town, Kamihei County, Iwate Prefecture)
11. Hoyu-kan (Ofunato City, Iwate Prefecture)
10. Container Housing Project
At the recommendation of international journalist Izuru SUGAWARA, AAR JAPAN has been providing easy-to-build prefabricated container housing units in the disaster zone. To date, we have installed 43 units in Onagawa Town in Oshika County and in Minami-sanriku Town, Miyagi Prefecture, and in Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture. These container housing units are being used by evacuees as private residences and small shops.
11. Hand-made Tote Bags Project
AAR JAPAN collected hand-made tote bags in response to requests from people in evacuation centers and senior care facilities for bags in which to carry their personal belongings. By May 20th, AAR JAPAN had received 5,000 bags from inside and outside of Japan. Volunteers helped to attach AAR JAPAN’s “Sunny-chan” mascot straps to the bags and deliver them to evacuees, with a special focus on the elderly. Survivors who received the bags were pleased not only with the bags themselves, but also with the various encouraging messages written inside.
The project was such a success that AAR JAPAN began collecting bags again in October. As of November 14th, AAR JAPAN had received 2,781 bags, which we are now distributing in the disaster-affected areas.
12. Charity Concerts
In cooperation with Support 21 Social Welfare Foundation, AAR JAPAN’s sister organization, we held a fund-raising concert at the Opera City Concert Hall in Tokyo on May 20th. Through concert revenues we provided 227 musical instruments to the following institutions, at an equivalent value of 35 million yen:
Takata Senior High School (Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture), Takata Elementary School (Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture), Kamaishi Higashi Junior High School (Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture), Watanoba Junior High School (Ishinomaki Ciity,Miyagi Prefecture), Minato Junior High School (Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture), Kobunkan Senior High School (Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture), Noda Junior High School (Noda Village, Iwate Prefecture), Ishinomaki Brass Band Association (Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture)
On August 5th we held another concert entitled “Concert of Heart: Hope” at Seinen Bunka Center in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, which many disaster survivors were able to enjoy for free.
On October 20th, AAR JAPAN co-hosted “Hope” at the Lyceum Theatre in Shanghai, China, where eight Shanghai-based musicians performed a concert supporting reconstruction in the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake. Led by Mr. Kaoru SHINSHI, the Shanghai-based Japanese volunteer group Friend played a vital role in the concert’s planning committee, which was headed by Mr. Hiroyoshi IKEDA of the Shanghai branch of MYTS Co., Ltd. AAR JAPAN’s Deputy Chairperson, Taki KATOH, guided the audience through the concert as the master of ceremony.
Note: All of the relief efforts outlined above are based on financial and material aid from private companies, various organizations and associations, schools, individuals as well as Japan Platform. While it would be impossible to introduce all of our individual supporters, we offer you our sincerest thanks. We deeply appreciate your generous and continued support.
AAR JAPAN
Bringing People in the Disaster-Affected Areas a Warm and Happy New Year
AAR JAPAN has been carrying out relief efforts for the victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake since the immediate aftermath of the disaster. In addition to delivering emergency supplies to those who have limited access to aid, such as persons with disabilities and the elderly, AAR JAPAN is also repairing welfare facilities and providing vehicles for facilities for persons with disabilities.
Temperatures in the disaster-affected areas continue to drop. In addition to distributing winter necessities to people living in temporary housing complexes and other displaced people, AAR JAPAN is now also preparing equipment for snow removal. In the face of news of elderly survivors dying alone in temporary housing, we are continuing to support the Building Healthy Communities Project, offering community interaction and exchange events for disaster survivors, many of whom all too easily end up spending their entire day isolated behind closed doors.
AAR JAPAN hopes to continue its support for the people of the disaster-affected areas, offering them a warm and happy New Year.
Below is a report on activities that AAR JAPAN’s supporters have enabled us to carry out in 2011:
AAR JAPAN’s Ongoing Projects in Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake
1. Delivering Relief to Families in Temporary Housing and Leased Housing in Fukushima Prefecture (approximately 35,000 families)
2. Support for Food Service at Schools in Minami-soma City, Fukushima Prefecture
3. Psychological Care for Children in Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture
4. Building Healthy Communities Project
5. Delivery of Relief Supplies
6. Soup Kitchens
7. Reconstruction of Facilities for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities
8. Vehicle Provision
9. Supporting Market Expansion for Products made by Persons with Disabilities
10. Container Housing Project
11. Hand-made Tote Bags Project
12. Charity Concerts
1. Delivering Relief to Families in Temporary Housing and Leased Housing in Fukushima Prefecture (approximately 35,000 families)
In cooperation with ADRA Japan, we have been supporting the day-to-day livelihoods of families living in temporary housing and subsidized housing in Fukushima Prefecture. As the Japanese Red Cross decided to distribute six-piece sets of home electrical appliances in earthquake- and tsunami-affected areas, AAR JAPAN has focused on providing items such as kitchenware, bathroom goods, vacuum cleaners, kotatsu (heated tables) and regular tables, kitchen cabinets, and so on, based on requests from municipal governments. We are targeting 13 municipalities in the Hamadori and Nakadori regions of Fukushima Prefecture: Soma City, Minami-soma City, Shinchi Town, Iitate Village, Tomioka Town, Kawauchi Village, Koriyama City, Sukagawa City, Kagamiishi Town, Shirakawa City, Nishigo Village, Yabuki Town, and Izumisaki Village. Following a request from the municipal governments of Minami-Soma City and Tomioka Town, both located within 20 km of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant, we are also providing supplies to survivors who have taken refuge in other prefectures.
In order to contribute to the economic recovery of the local communities, we are collaborating with the local Commerce and Industry Associations in 10 municipalities to source as many aid goods locally as possible. As of November 30th, we have completed the delivery of relief supplies to 21,719 households in the target area.
2. Support for Food Service at Schools in Minami-soma City, Fukushima Prefecture
AAR JAPAN provided vegetable juice and rice for approximately 2,800 schoolchildren in Kashima, Minami-Soma City. The Kashima area is just outside the restricted zone around Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant, and since the accident, many children who used to attend school closer to the plant have now been relocated here. From July 1st to 22nd, vegetable juice was provided to every schoolchild twice a week, and a total of 2 tons of rice was supplied for school meals. Kashima was also experiencing a shortage of vehicles for delivering food to schools, so AAR JAPAN secured rented vehicles for food delivery from August 23rd.
3. Psychological Care for Children (Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture)
AAR JAPAN has been supporting the SOMA Follower Team, a nonprofit organization formed by Soma City to provide psychological care for children. The six-person team includes clinical psychologists, psychiatric social workers, and healthcare workers who have been providing psychological care for students and their parents at affected kindergartens, elementary schools, and junior high schools in Soma City.
In November, the SOMA Follower Team started offering counseling at elementary schools near the 20-km exclusion zone, where radiation levels from the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant have not been deemed high enough for evacuation, but residents are advised to remain indoors as much as possible to limit their exposure. Here the children cannot play outside, and must remain inside during recess, lunch, and gym class, and they must also play indoors when they go home. At this time of year they would normally enjoy picking up chestnuts and colored leaves from the ground, but this year they cannot.
4. Building Healthy Communities Project
AAR JAPAN has been providing rehabilitation and health-related services, mobile clinics, sanitation services, psychological care, and community interaction and exchange events for roughly 3,000 people, focusing on persons with disabilities, the elderly, displaced people, and people staying in temporary housing in the disaster-affected areas of Miyagi and Iwate prefectures. Through these comprehensive efforts, AAR JAPAN continues to support people in the disaster zone as they work to maintain both their physical and mental health.
Rehabilitation Services
AAR JAPAN has been sending occupational therapists and physiotherapists to evacuation centers, senior care facilities, facilities for persons with disabilities, temporary housing, and individual homes in Miyagi and Iwate prefectures, offering rehabilitation visits and massages to 612 people from July 9th to November 26th.
Psychological Care
To mitigate stress both from the earthquake and from long-term evacuee life, AAR JAPAN has been sending counselors to evacuation centers, temporary housing units, and individual homes to provide psychological care. We provided counseling for 265 people between August 6th and December 3rd.
Community Interaction and Exchange Events
AAR JAPAN has been actively promoting community interaction and exchange events to help encourage the development of social ties in evacuation centers and temporary housing. In this effort, we have been organizing soup kitchens, delivering relief supplies, and providing rehabilitation services such as massages and aroma therapy. To date, we have organized or participated in events in the following locations:
- Festival at Wako Kindergarten in Shichi-ga-hama Town, Miyagi Prefecture (July 23rd)
- Bon Festival in Onagawa Town, Miyagi Prefecture (August 15th)
- Higashi-hama Elementary School on the Oshika Peninsula, Miyagi Prefecture (August 18th)
- Touni Town, Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture (August 20th)
- Otomo Town, Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture (August 20th)
- Offering aromatherapy at Higashi-hama Elementary School in Miyagi Prefecture (August 23rd)
- Workshop for persons with disabilities in Yamada Town, Chimohei County, Iwate Prefecture (August 26th)
- Temporary housing complex in Kasshi Town, Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture (August 27th)
- Temporary housing complex in Shichi-ga-hama Town, Miyagi Prefecture (August 28th)
- Temporary housing complex in Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture (September 11th)
- Gym of Nakano Junior High School in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture (September 17th)
- Day room in a temporary housing complex in Kashinai, Miyako City, Iwate Prefecture (September 24th)
- Temporary housing complex in Kuribayashi Town, Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture (September 25th)
- Gym of Nakano Junior High School in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture (September 25th)
- In front of a shop in Sakuragi Town, Otsuchi Town, Kamihei County, Iwate Prefecture (September 28th)
- Temporary housing complex in Kesen Town, Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture (October 2nd)
- Festival at Kurosaki Shrine in Hirota Town, Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture (October 9th)
- “Everyone’s Festival Bureiko” in Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture (October 10th)
- Dosen Subsidized Apartments in Kasshi Town, Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture (October 16th)
- Higashi-hama Elementary School in Iwate Prefecture (October 11th)
- Otsuchi Dai-kyu Temporary Housing Complex in Otsuchi Town, Kamihei County, Iwate Prefecture (October 23rd)
- Taki-no-Sato in Takekoma, Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture (October 25th)
- Nakano Sakae Community Center, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture (November 27th)
5. Delivery of Relief Supplies
Needs have altered as seasons change and people’s lives inch toward normalcy. AAR JAPAN is currently delivering portable power generators to persons with disabilities who rely on respirators to breathe. We have also been providing winter necessities for the harsh cold of the season.
Relief Supplies Delivered to Affected Areas from March 14th to November 30th, provided to 79,460 people in 1,284 locations
Areas of Distribution:
Miyagi Prefecture: Sendai City, Ishinomaki City, Kesen-numa City, Natori City, Tome City, Higashi-Matsushima City, Onagawa Town, Tagajo City, Iwanuma City, Minami-sanriku Town, Yamamoto Town, Shiogama City
Iwate Prefecture: Otsuchi Town, Ofunato City, Rikuzen-takata City, Kamaishi City, Yamada Town
Fukushima Prefecture: Soma City, Minami-Soma City
Yamagata Prefecture: Kamiyama City
Type of Facilities:
Evacuation centers, facilities for persons with disabilities, facilities for the elderly, social welfare councils, foster homes, shopping centers, social welfare corporations, volunteer centers, ambulatory facilities for the elderly, disaster countermeasures offices, temporary housing, evacuees’ homes, daycare centers, kindergartens, elementary schools, junior high schools, senior high schools, others.
Supplies Delivered:
Diesel oil (13,600 liters), Kerosene (4,400 liters), Gasoline (2,060 liters), Water (14 tons), Rice (2.5 tons), Milk (480 packs), Sweet-bean cakes (41,000 units), Vegetables (potatoes, carrots, onions, spinach, cabbage, radishes, green onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, chives, eggplants, kidney beans, edamame beans, pumpkins, burdock roots, taro, sweet potatoes, Chinese cabbage, corn, Japanese mustard spinach, dried shiitake and others), Fruit (mandarin oranges, bananas, watermelons, grapefruits, melons, etc.), Eggs, Other food (retort foods, food for the elderly, canned food, miso, soy sauce, dietary supplements, etc.), Blankets, Bedclothes, Underclothes, Clothes and scarves, Towels and hand cloths, Furoshiki wrapping cloths, Face masks, Hand warmers, Sleeping bags (3,400 units), Cold medicine and other medical supplies, Toothbrushes, Paper diapers, Adult diapers, Women’s sanitary products, Batteries, Baby products (baby food, pacifiers, feeding bottles, baby wipes, etc.), High-pressure washers (32 units), Chainsaws (30 units), Shovels, Boots, Books and picture books, Crayons, Cell phone chargers, Computer sets (37 units), Printers (2 units), Photocopying machines (5 units), Bicycles (294 units), Sputum aspirators (2 units), Care beds (31 units), Folding beds (2 units), Futon sets (30 units), Wheelchairs (21 units), Care chairs (2 units), Walkers (35 units), Power generators (3 units), Laundry machines (29 units), Drying machines (22 units), Refrigerators (28 units), Microwave ovens (7 units), Electric fans (51 units), Vacuum cleaners (44 units), Air cleaners (16 units), Rice cookers (8 units), Futon dehumidifiers (34 units), Reflective heaters (5 units), Kerosene heaters (2 units), Automatic blood pressure meters (34 units), Television sets (22 units), Dish dryers (2 units), Electric fans, Dehumidifiers, Weight scales, Clothes irons, Ironing tables, Rotary printing machines, Pull carts, Dollies, Audio players (10 units), Portable radios, Walking sticks, Cooking knives, Cutting boards, Small shelving units, Bookshelves, Clothing cases, Disinfectant spray, Hand soap, Reading glasses, Stuffed toys, Other toys, Thermos bottles, Digital cameras, DVD players, Video cameras, Mattresses, Sheets, Cotton blankets, Pesticides, Bug repellant, Mosquito nets, Toilet paper, Laundry detergent, Kitchen detergent, Toilet soap, Laundry baskets, Hangers, Cleaning buckets, Paper dishes, Notebooks, Copy paper, Tinfoil and cling wrap, Grass-cutting scythes, Grass cutters, Cucumber seedlings, Tomato seedlings, Flower seedlings, Screen windows, Laundry poles, Summer clothes, Rubber boots, Sandals, Slippers, Ice packs, Neck coolers, Inflatable play pools, Nutritional supplements, Umbrellas, Taisho harp sets, Electric piano sets, Keyboards, Taiko drums, Tea ceremony sets, Other small musical instruments, Sewing machines, Scarves, Sweaters, Jackets and other winter clothes, Farming boots, Garden supplies, Table tennis sets, Electrical generators (7 units), Foot-operated aspirators, Hearing aids, Braille printers, Cultivators, Air purifiers, Heated carpets, Rugs, Kotatsu (heated table) sets, Gas and electric heaters, Hot water bottles, Electric blankets, Down jackets, Fleeces, others.
6. Soup Kitchens
In coordination with Ingram Co., Ltd., which is responsible for the Peace Project, AAR JAPAN has been organizing soup kitchens in Miyagi, Iwate, and Fukushima prefectures. The project began on March 31st, and as of November 25th, AAR JAPAN held soup kitchens in the following locations. Since August, the soup kitchens have been operated as part of the Building Healthy Communities Project.
Soup Kitchen Locations (25,121 meals served in 72 locations)
Miyagi Prefecture: Watanoha, Aikawa, Kitakami, and Ayukawa areas (Oshika Peninsula) in Ishinomaki City; Wakabayashi District in Sendai City; Tagajo City; Shizugawa and Utatsu in Minami-sanriku Town; Niitsuki, Shishiori, and Omose areas in Kesen-numa City
Iwate Prefecture: Kamaishi City, Rikuzen-takata City, Taro Town in Miyako City, Yamada Town, Otsuchi Town
Fukushima Prefecture: Haramachi Ward in Minami-Soma City
Menu:
Tokushima ramen, Oden, Beef stew, Yakisoba (fried noodles), Fried chicken, Vegetable sticks, Chukadon (Chinese-style stir-fried meat and vegetables on rice), Beef steak, Onion soup, Tuna sashimi on rice, Chanko-nabe (hot pot), Apple pie, Onion sauté, Minestrone, Ground chicken with egg and vegetables on rice, Fish miso soup, Hijiki seaweed mix, Fried sweet potato, Cabbage rolls, Mixed bean-curd lees and vegetables, Autumn rice, Pork miso soup, Stewed fish, Cabbage and spinach side dishes, Somen noodles, Minced fish soup, Hand-made sweet potato pies, Hand-made langue du chats, Samgyetang (Korean chicken ginseng soup), Yakitori (grilled chicken), Miso soup with tofu and shimeji mushrooms, Stewed meat and potatoes, Boiled komatsuna (Japanese mustard spinach), Pasta with meat sauce, Potato salad, Miso soup with Chinese cabbage and shiitake mushrooms, Boiled field mustard, Inarizushi (fried tofu stuffed with venerated rice), Cooked radish and minced meat, Kashiwa mochi (rice cake wrapped in oak leaf), Fried whitefish, Miso soup with radish, Radish salad, Fruit Jell-O, Udon noodles, Almond Jell-O, Stir-fried meat with vegetables, Gyoza (Chinese dumplings), Borscht, Miso soup with clams, Marinated octopus, Miso soup with cabbage and Japanese mustard spinach, Raw squid with wasabi, Seafood curry and rice (with scallops, clams and shrimp), Japanese sweets and amazake (sweet mild sake), Charcoal-broiled fish, Kakigori (shaved ice with flavored syrup), Grilled corn, Kitsune udon, Okonomiyaki (Japanese pancakes), Japanese dace, Daikon-oroshi (grated Japanese radish), Pickled vegetables, Unaju (grilled eel on rice), Vegetables pickled in sake lees, Miso soup with wakame seaweed and green onion, Rice-fed pork from Sumida Town grilled with local vegetables on rice, Tada farm cheese pudding, Rice balls with chestnuts, Soba with tempura, etc.
7. Reconstruction of Facilities for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities
In coordination with local construction companies, AAR JAPAN has been repairing senior care centers and facilities for persons with disabilities in approximately 60 locations to accelerate resumption of services. From April 21st to November 30th, AAR JAPAN repaired and provided equipment to the following social welfare facilities and NGOs:
1. Rubert (Operated by Minori-kai, Natori City, Miyagi Prefecture)
2. Clovers Pier Wasse (Operated by Shinwa-kai, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
3. Workshop Himawari (Operated by Senshin-kai Yume-no-mori, Kesen-numa City, Miyagi Prefecture)
4. Gin-no-hoshi (Operated by Yamoto-aiiku-kai, Higashi-Matsushima City, Miyagi Prefecture)
5. Kurihara-shuho-kai (Kurihara City, Miyagi Prefecture)
6. Himawari Family (Operated by Fureai-no-mori, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
7. Echo Ryouiku-en (Operated by Yoko Fukushi-kai, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
8. Coconet Autism Peering Center (Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
9. Miyama-sou Special Nursing Home (Operated by Seiwa-kai, Yamamoto Town, Watari County, Miyagi Prefecture)
10. Kamuri Gakuen (Operated by Aisen-kai, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
11. Daimatsu Gakuen (Operated by Hoshin-kai, Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture)
12. Group Home Kamikuri-sou (Operated by Kamaishi Kyosei-kai, Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture)
13. Yoshihama-sou (Operated by Aisei-kai, Ofunato City, Iwate Prefecture)
14. Kojuen (Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture)
15. Lumbini-en (Operated by Korin-kai, Hanamaki City, Iwate Prefecture)
16. Asunaro Home (Operated by Sansan-kai, Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture)
17. Yamada Kyosei Workshop (Operated by Yamada Kyosei-kai, Yamada Town, Shimohei County, Iwate Prefecture)
18. Taiyou-kai (Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture)
19. Machikado Counseling Link Matsubara Home (Operated by Aiiku-kai Social Welfare Corporation, Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture)
20. Care Home Megumi (Kesen-numa City, Miyagi Prefecture)
21. Harakara Fukushi-kai (Shibata Town, Shibata County, Miyagi Prefecture)
22. Cosmos House (Operated by Shiraishi Yoko Gakuen, Shiraishi City, Miyagi Prefecture)
23. Sakurambo Club (Tome City, Miyagi Prefecture)
24. Shiraishi Jukouen (Operated by Shiraishi Yoko Gakuen, Shiraishi City, Miyagi Prefecture)
25. Zao Suzushiro (Operated by Harakara Fukushi-kai, Zao Town, Katta County, Miyagi Prefecture)
26. Hatamaki Kyodo Workshop (Operated by Harakara Fukushi-kai, Igu County, Miyagi Prefecture)
27. Riverside Song, Song of the Surf, Seaside Song (Operated by Dreamers’ Home, Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture)
28. Izumi Workshop (Operated by Aiko Fukushi Kyokai, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
29. Fukushi Net ABC (Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
30. Hoyu-kan (Operated by Taiyo-kai, Ofunato City, Iwate Prefecture)
31. Sendai Tsudoi House Koppel (Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
32. Nakata Sun Farm (Tome City, Miyagi Prefecture)
Reconstruction Sites:
Miyagi Prefecture:
37 locations (14 in Sendai City, 2 in Shiraishi City, 4 in Kesen-numa City, 1 in Tome City, 1 in Higashi-Matsushima City, 4 in Natori City, 1 in Kurihara City, 2 in Ishinomaki City, 1 in Shiogama City, 2 in Yamamoto Town, 2 in Minami-sanriku Town, 1 in Zao Town, 1 in Marumori Town, 1 in Shibata Town)
Iwate Prefecture:
23 locations (4 in Ofunato City, 5 in Rikuzen-takata City, 6 in Kamaishi City, 1 in Hanamaki City, 2 in Otsuchi Town, 2 in Yamada Town, 1 in Miyako City, 2 in Tanohata Village)
AAR JAPAN will continue the reconstruction of facilities for persons with disabilities and senior care facilities in the disaster-affected areas of Miyagi and Iwate prefectures in coordination with each prefecture’s welfare division, social welfare council, and other related organizations.
8. Vehicle Provision
AAR JAPAN has been providing vehicles as vital means of transportation for people who make use of welfare facilities. AAR JAPAN has provided the following vehicles:
1. One (1) van – Nozomi Fukushi Workshop (Operated by Senshin-kai, Minami-sanriku Town, Miyagi Prefecture)
2. One (1) mini-vehicle – Huck’s House (Tanohata Village, Shimohei County, Iwate Prefecture)
3. One (1) van – Kujira-no-shippo (Operated by Ishinomaki Shoshin-kai, Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture)
4. One (1) mini-vehicle – Kick-off Career and Life Support Center for Persons with Disabilities (Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture)
5. One (1) van – Work House Atelier Sun (Miyako City, Iwate Prefecture)
6. One (1) elderly-care taxi – Yamazaki Taxi (Yamada Town, Shimohei County, Iwate Prefecture)
7. One (1) compact car – Hikami-no-sono (Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture)
8. One (1) mini-van – Group Home Kibogaoka (Operated by Harmony Utatsu, Minami-sanriku City, Motoyoshi County, Miyagi Prefecture)
9. Three (3) vehicles – Sasae-ai Yamamoto (Yamamoto Town, Watari County, Miyagi Prefecture)
10. One (1) mini-vehicle – Warabi Gakuen (Otsuchi Town, Kamihei County, Iwate Prefecture)
11. One (1) mini-vehicle – Kamaishi Workshop (Chidori Town, Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture)
12. One (1) van – Suzuran-to-Katatsumuri (Takekoma Town, Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture)
13. One (1) vehicle – Madoka Arahama (Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
14. One (1) elderly care taxi – Otsuchi Taxi (Otsuchi Town, Iwate Prefecture)
9. Supporting Market Expansion for Products made by Persons with Disabilities
AAR JAPAN supports various workshops for persons with disabilities, many of which raise funds by selling products such as home-made sweets in their local area. Sales in the disaster-affected areas have decreased sharply since the Great East Japan Earthquake, and AAR JAPAN has been supporting the exploration of new markets for these welfare facilities’ products. We are currently supporting the following facilities:
1. Harakara Fukushi-kai (Shibata Town, Shibata County, Miyagi Prefecture)
2. Kurihara-shuho-kai (Kurihara City, Miyagi Prefecture)
3. Smile Workshop (Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
4. Kamuri Gakuen (Operated by Aisen-kai, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
5. Fukushi Net ABC (Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
6. Shomatsu-kan (Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture)
7. Asunaro Home (Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture)
8. Miyako Work Station (Miyako City, Miyagi Prefecture)
9. Kamaishi City Fukushi Workshop (Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture)
10. Warabi Gakuen (Otsuchi Town, Kamihei County, Iwate Prefecture)
11. Hoyu-kan (Ofunato City, Iwate Prefecture)
10. Container Housing Project
At the recommendation of international journalist Izuru SUGAWARA, AAR JAPAN has been providing easy-to-build prefabricated container housing units in the disaster zone. To date, we have installed 43 units in Onagawa Town in Oshika County and in Minami-sanriku Town, Miyagi Prefecture, and in Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture. These container housing units are being used by evacuees as private residences and small shops.
11. Hand-made Tote Bags Project
AAR JAPAN collected hand-made tote bags in response to requests from people in evacuation centers and senior care facilities for bags in which to carry their personal belongings. By May 20th, AAR JAPAN had received 5,000 bags from inside and outside of Japan. Volunteers helped to attach AAR JAPAN’s “Sunny-chan” mascot straps to the bags and deliver them to evacuees, with a special focus on the elderly. Survivors who received the bags were pleased not only with the bags themselves, but also with the various encouraging messages written inside.
The project was such a success that AAR JAPAN began collecting bags again in October. As of November 14th, AAR JAPAN had received 2,781 bags, which we are now distributing in the disaster-affected areas.
12. Charity Concerts
In cooperation with Support 21 Social Welfare Foundation, AAR JAPAN’s sister organization, we held a fund-raising concert at the Opera City Concert Hall in Tokyo on May 20th. Through concert revenues we provided 227 musical instruments to the following institutions, at an equivalent value of 35 million yen:
Takata Senior High School (Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture), Takata Elementary School (Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture), Kamaishi Higashi Junior High School (Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture), Watanoba Junior High School (Ishinomaki Ciity,Miyagi Prefecture), Minato Junior High School (Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture), Kobunkan Senior High School (Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture), Noda Junior High School (Noda Village, Iwate Prefecture), Ishinomaki Brass Band Association (Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture)
On August 5th we held another concert entitled “Concert of Heart: Hope” at Seinen Bunka Center in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, which many disaster survivors were able to enjoy for free.
On October 20th, AAR JAPAN co-hosted “Hope” at the Lyceum Theatre in Shanghai, China, where eight Shanghai-based musicians performed a concert supporting reconstruction in the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake. Led by Mr. Kaoru SHINSHI, the Shanghai-based Japanese volunteer group Friend played a vital role in the concert’s planning committee, which was headed by Mr. Hiroyoshi IKEDA of the Shanghai branch of MYTS Co., Ltd. AAR JAPAN’s Deputy Chairperson, Taki KATOH, guided the audience through the concert as the master of ceremony.
Note: All of the relief efforts outlined above are based on financial and material aid from private companies, various organizations and associations, schools, individuals as well as Japan Platform. While it would be impossible to introduce all of our individual supporters, we offer you our sincerest thanks. We deeply appreciate your generous and continued support.
AAR JAPAN
Easing the Mind and Warming the Body as Winter Approaches
AAR JAPAN has been carrying out relief efforts for the victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake since the immediate aftermath of the disaster. In addition to delivering emergency supplies to those who have limited access to aid, such as persons with disabilities, the elderly, and survivors living at home, AAR JAPAN is also repairing welfare facilities, providing vehicles, and preparing soup kitchens.
As winter has already begun to settle into the Tohoku region, urgent measures are needed in order to prepare for the severity of the coming season. AAR JAPAN is continuing its support for the Building Healthy Communities Project, offering rehabilitation services, psychological care, and community interaction and exchange events to ease the minds and warm the bodies of disaster survivors, many of whom all too easily end up spending their entire day isolated behind closed doors or stuck inside a shelter.
Seven months have passed since the earthquake, and yet some survivors still continue to live in evacuation shelters. Many have finally decided that, regardless of their present situation, they have no choice but to move on and face the
future. AAR JAPAN hopes to continue to offer the kind of support that will touch the heart of each individual survivor
Below is a report on the activities that AAR JAPAN’s supporters have enabled us to carry out in the last seven months:
AAR JAPAN’s Projects in Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake
1. Delivering Relief to Families in Temporary Housing and Leased Housing in Fukushima Prefecture (approximately 35,000 families)
2. Support for Food Service at Schools in Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture
3. Building Healthy Communities Project (Detailed report has been posted under a separate project of AAR JAPAN in GlobalGiving)
4. Delivery of Relief Supplies
5. Soup Kitchens
6. Reconstruction of Facilities for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities
7. Vehicle Provision
8. Container Housing Project
9. Hand-made Tote Bags Project
10. Psychological Care for Children in Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture
11. Charity Concerts
(*”Let’s Bring Hot Springs to the Disaster Zone!” Project and Shuttle Bus Service have been concluded and
therefore omitted from the report)
1. Delivering Relief to Families in Temporary Housing and Leased Housing in Fukushima Prefecture (approximately 35,000 families)
With a grant from Japan Platform (JPF)* and in cooperation with ADRA Japan, we have been supporting the day-to-day lives of all the families living in temporary housing and leased housing in Fukushima Prefecture. As the Japanese Red Cross has decided to distribute six-piece sets of home electrical appliances in earthquake- and tsunami-affected areas, AAR JAPAN has focused on providing items such as kitchenware, bathroom goods, vacuum cleaners, kotatsu (heated tables) and regular tables, kitchen cabinets, and so on, based on requests from municipal governments.
We are targeting 13 municipalities in the Hamadori and Nakadori regions of Fukushima:
Soma City, Minami-Soma City, Shinchi Town, Iitate Village, Tomioka Town, Kawauchi Village, Koriyama City, Sukagawa City, Kagamiishi City, Shirakawa City, Nishigo Village, Yabuki Town, and Izumisaki Village. In order to
contribute to the economic recovery of the local communities, we are collaborating with the local Commerce and Industry Associations in 10 municipalities to source as many aid goods locally as possible. As of September 30th, we have completed the delivery of relief supplies to 14,454 households in the target area.
2. Support for Food Service at Schools in Soma City, Fukushima
AAR JAPAN provided vegetable juice and rice for 2,800 schoolchildren in Kashima, Minami-soma City. The Kashima area is just outside the restricted zone around Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant, and since the accident, many children who used to attend school closer to the plant have now been relocated here. With local produce already stretched thin, it was difficult to provide school lunch for the increased number of children. Between July 1st and 22nd, vegetable juice was provided to every schoolchild twice a week, and a total of 2 tons of rice was supplied for school meals. Kashima was also experiencing a shortage of vehicles for delivering food to schools, so AAR JAPAN secured rented vehicles for food delivery from August 23rd.
4. Relief Supplies Delivered to Affected Areas from March 14th to September 30th
The demand for relief supplies varies according to the progress of local reconstruction efforts. AAR JAPAN aims to promptly send the supplies that are best suited to the needs of the moment, such as office equipment that will allow social welfare offices to resume operation (personal computers, printers, etc.), heaters and humidifiers for winter, bicycles for commuting to school, or healthcare products such as care beds, sputum aspirators, wheelchairs or walkers.
Relief Supplies Delivered from March 14th to September 30th
75,863 people in 1,106 locations
Distribution Area
Miyagi Prefecture: Sendai City, Ishinomaki City, Kesen-numa City, Natori City, Tome City, Higashi-matsushima City, Onagawa Town, Tagajo City, Iwanuma City, Minami-sanriku Town, Yamamoto Town, Shiogama City
Iwate Prefecture: Otsuchi Town, Ofunato City, Rikuzentakata City, Kamaishi City, Yamada Town
Fukushima Prefecture: Soma City, Minami-soma City
Yamagata Prefecture: Kamiyama City
Distribution Facilities
Evacuation shelters, facilities for persons with disabilities, facilities for the elderly, social welfare councils, foster homes, shopping centers, social welfare corporations, volunteer centers, ambulatory facilities for the elderly, disaster countermeasures offices, temporary housing, evacuees’ homes, daycare centers, kindergartens, elementary schools, junior high schools, senior high schools, others.
Supplies Delivered
Diesel oil (13,600 liters), Kerosene (4,400 liters), Gasoline (2,060 liters), Water (14 tons), Rice (2.5 tons), Milk (480 packs), Sweet-bean cakes (41,000 units), Vegetables, Fruit, Eggs, Other food, Blankets, Bedclothes, Underclothes, Clothes and scarves, Towels and hand cloths, Furoshiki wrapping cloths, Face masks, Hand warmers, Sleeping bags (3,400 units), Cold medicine and othermedical supplies, Toothbrushes, Paper diapers, Adult diapers, Women’s sanitary products, Batteries, Baby products, High-pressure washers (32 units), Chainsaws (30 units), Shovels, Boots, Books and picture books, Crayons, Cell phone chargers, Computer sets (37 units), Printers (2 units), Photocopying machines (5 units), Bicycles (294 units), Sputum aspirators (2 units), Care beds (20 units), Folding beds (2 units), Futon sets (30 units), Wheelchairs (19 units), Care chairs (2 units), Walkers (35 units), Power generators (3 units), Laundry machines (24 units), Drying machines (22 units), Refrigerators (24 units), Microwave ovens (7 units), Electric fans (51 units), Vacuum cleaners (40 units), Air cleaners (11 units), Rice cookers (8 units), Futon dryers (34 units), Reflective heaters (5 units), Kerosene heaters (2 units), Automatic blood pressure meters (34 units), Television sets (22 units), Dish dryers (2 units), Electric fans, Electric heaters, Dehumidifiers, Weight scales, Clothes, irons, Ironing tables, Rotary printing machines, Pull carts, Dollies, Audio players (10 units), Portable radios, Walking sticks, Cooking knives, Cutting boards, Small shelving units, Bookshelves, Clothing cases, Disinfectant spray, Hand soap, Reading glasses, Stuffed toys, Other toys, Thermos bottles, Digital cameras, DVD players, Video cameras, Mattresses, Sheets, Cotton blankets, Pesticides, Bug repellant, Mosquito nets, Toilet paper, Laundry detergent, Kitchen detergent, Toilet soap, Laundry baskets, Hangers, Cleaning buckets, Paper dishes, Notebooks, Copy paper, Tinfoil and cling wrap, Grass-cutting scythes, Grass cutters, Cucumber seedlings, Tomato seedlings, Flower seedlings, Screen windows, Laundry poles, Summer clothes, Rubber boots, Sandals, Slippers, Ice packs, Neck coolers, Inflatable play pools, Nutritional supplements, Umbrellas, Taisho harp sets, Electric piano sets, Keyboards, Taiko drums, Tea ceremony sets, Other small musical instruments, Sewing machines, Scarves, Sweaters, Jackets and other winter clothes, Farming boots, Garden supplies, Table tennis sets, others.
5. Soup Kitchens
In coordination with Ingram Co., Ltd., which is responsible for the Peace Project, AAR JAPAN has been organizing soup kitchens in Miyagi, Iwate, and Fukushima Prefectures. The project began on March 31st, and as of September 25th, AAR JAPAN has held soup kitchens in the following locations:
Soup Kitchen Locations (22,051 meals served in 63 places)
Miyagi Prefecture: Watanoha, Aikawa, Kitakami, and Ayukawa areas (Oshika Peninsula) in Ishinomaki City; Wakabayashi District in Sendai City; Tagajo City; Shizugawa and Utatsu in Minami-Sanriku Town; Niitsuki, Shishiori, and Omose areas in Kesen-numa City
Iwate Prefecture: Kamaishi City, Rikuzen-takata City, Taro Town in Miyako City, Yamada Town
Fukushima Prefecture: Hara Town in Minami-Soma City
6. Institutional Reconstruction
In coordination with local construction companies, AAR JAPAN has been repairing senior care centers and facilities for persons with disabilities in 60 locations to accelerate resumption of services. From April 21st to September 30th, AAR JAPAN repaired the following facilities
1. Minori-kai Rubert Social Welfare Corporation (Natori City, Miyagi Prefecture)
2. Shinwa-kai Clovers Pier Wasse Social Welfare Corporation (Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
3. Himawari Senshin-kai Yume-no-mori Workshop Social Welfare Corporation (Kesen-numa City, Miyagi Prefecture)
4. Yamoto-aiiku-kai Gin-no-hoshi Social Welfare Corporation (Higashi-Matsushima City, Miyagi Prefecture)
5. Kurihara-shuho-kai Social Welfare Corporation (Kurihara City, Miyagi Prefecture)
6. Fureai-no-mori Social Welfare Corporation (Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
7. Yoko Fukushi-kai Echo Ryouiku-en Social Welfare Corporation (Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
8. Coconet Autism Peering Center (NPO, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
9. Seiwa-kai Miyama-sou Special Nursing Home (Social Welfare Corporation, Yamamoto Town, Watari County, Miyagi Prefecture)
10. Aisen-kai Kamuri Gakuen Social Welfare Corporation (Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
11. Hoshin-kai Omatsu Gakuen Social Welfare Corporation (Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture)
12. Kamikuri-sou Kamaishi Kyosei-kai Group Home (NPO, Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture)
13. Yoshihama-sou Aisei-kai Facility for Persons with Disabilities (Social Welfare Corporation, Ofunato City, Iwate Prefecture)
14. Kojuen Special Nursing Home for the Elderly (Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture)
15. Korin-kai Lumbini-en Social Welfare Corporation (Hanamaki City, Iwate Prefecture)
16. Sansan-kai Asunaro Home Social Welfare Corporation (Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture)
17. Yamada Kyosei-kai Yamada Kyosei Workshop Social Welfare Corporation (Yamada Town, Shimohei County, Iwate Prefecture)
18. Taiyou-kai Jiai Fukushi Gakuen Social Welfare Corporation (Ofunato City, Iwate Prefecture)
19. Aiiku-kai Social Welfare Corporation, Machikado Counseling Link Matsubara Home (Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture)
20. Megumi Care Home (Kesen-numa City, Miyagi Prefecture)
21. Harakara Social Welfare Corporation (Shibata Town, Shibata County, Miyagi Prefecture)
22. Shiraishi Yoko Gakuen Cosmos House Social Welfare Corporation (Shiraishi City, Miyagi Prefecture)
23. Sakurambo Club (NPO, Tome City, Miyagi Prefecture)
24. Shiraishi Yoko Gakuen Shiraishi Kojuen Social Welfare Corporation (Shiraishi City, Miyagi Prefecture)
25. Harakara Fukushi-kai Zao Suzushiro Social Welfare Corporation (Zao Town, Katta County, Miyagi Prefecture)
26. Harakara Fukushi-kai Hatamaki Kyodo Seisakujo Social Welfare Corporation (Igu County, Miyagi Prefecture)
27. “Dreamers’ Home, Riverside Song, Song of the Surf, Seaside Song” Social Welfare Corporation (Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture)
28. Aiko Fukushi Kyokai Izumi Facility for Persons with Disabilities (Social Welfare Corporation, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
29. Net ABC (NPO, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
30. Taiyo-kai Hoyu-kan Social Welfare Corporation (Ofunato City, Iwate Prefecture)
Reconstruction Sites
Miyagi Prefecture:
37 locations (14 in Sendai City, 2 in Shiraishi City, 4 in Kesen-numa City, 1 in Tome City, 1 in Higashi-Matsushima City, 4 in Natori City, 1 in Kurihara City, 2 in Ishinomaki City, 1 in Shiogama City, 2 in Yamamoto Town, 2 in Minami-sanriku Town, 1 in Zao Town, 1 in Marumori Town, 1 in Shibata Town)
Iwate Prefecture:
23 locations (4 in Ofunato City, 5 in Rikuzen-takata City, 6 in Kamaishi City, 1 in Hanamaki City, 2 in Otsuchi Town, 2 in Yamada Town, 1 in Miyako City, 2 in Tanohata Village)
AAR JAPAN will continue the reconstruction of facilities for persons with disabilities and senior care facilities in the disaster-affected areas of Miyagi and Iwate Prefectures in coordination with each prefecture’s welfare division, social welfare council, and other related organizations.
This project has been funded by Japan Platform (JPF), Accenture Plc, Mitsubishi Corp., Felissimo Corp., the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of New York, Inc. (JCCI), and through the generous donations of our individual supporters.
7. Vehicle Provision
AAR JAPAN has been providing vehicles as vital means of transportation for people who make use of welfare facilities. AAR JAPAN has provided vehicles for the following 10 welfare facilities:
1. One (1) van – Senshin-kai Nozomi Fukushi Sagyojo Social Welfare Cooperation (Minami-sanriku Town, Miyagi Prefecture)
2. One (1) mini-vehicle – Huck’s House (NPO, Tanohata Village, Shimohei County, Iwate Prefecture)
3. One (1) van for Ishinomaki Shoshin-kai Kujira-no-shippo Service Facility for Persons with Disabilities (Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture)
4. One (1) mini-vehicle – Kick-off Career and Life Support Center for Persons with Disabilities (Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture)
5. One (1) van – Work House Atelier Sun (Miyako City, Iwate Prefecture)
6. One (1) elderly-care taxi – Yamazaki Taxi (Yamada Town, Shimohei County, Iwate Prefecture)
7. One (1) compact car – Hikami-no-sono (Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture)
8. One (1) mini-van for pickup – Harmony Utatsu Kibogaoka Group Home (NPO, Minami-sanriku City, Motoyoshi County, Miyagi Prefecture)
9. Three (3) vehicles for pickup – Sasae-ai Yamamoto (NPO, Yamamoto Town, Watari County, Miyagi Prefecture)
10. One (1) mini-vehicle – Warabi Gakuen Facility for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities (Otsuchi Town, Kamihei County, Iwate Prefecture)
This project has been carried out in cooperation with Accenture Plc., Tokyo Art Club, and the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of New York, Inc. (JCCI).
8. Container Housing Project
At the recommendation of international journalist Izuru SUGAWARA, AAR JAPAN has been providing easy-to-build prefabricated container housing units in the disaster zone. To date, we have installed 41 units in the town of Onagawa in Oshika County, Miyagi Prefecture. These container housing units are being used by evacuees as private residences and small shops. This project has been conducted in cooperation with Goldman Sachs Asset Management Co., Ltd.
9. Hand-made Tote Bags Project
AAR JAPAN collected hand-made tote bags in response to requests from people in evacuation centers and senior care facilities for bags in which to carry their personal belongings. By May 20th, AAR JAPAN had received 5,000 bags from inside and outside of Japan. Volunteers helped to attach AAR JAPAN’s “Sunny-chan” mascot straps to the bags and deliver them to evacuees, with a special focus on the elderly. Survivors who received the bags were pleased not only with the bags themselves, but also with the various encouraging messages written inside. The project was such a success that AAR JAPAN began collecting bags again in October, with the intention of sending more to the disaster-affected areas after October 31st.
10. Psychological Care for Children (Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture)
AAR JAPAN has been supporting the SOMA Follower Team, a nonprofit organization formed by Soma City to provide psychological care for children. The six-person team includes clinical psychologists, psychiatric social workers, and healthcare workers who have been providing psychological care for students and their parents at affected kindergartens, elementary schools, and junior high schools in Soma City. During the summer vacation, they visited schools on fixed dates and gave counseling at meeting places in temporary housing sites. Although few children have shown marked signs of stress, some complain of headaches, stomachaches, nausea, and other concerns, and AAR JAPAN is committed to offering continued care for the children of Soma City.
11. Charity Concerts
In cooperation with Support 21 Social Welfare Foundation, AAR JAPAN’s sister organization, we held a fund-raising concert at the Opera City Concert Hall in Tokyo on May 20th. Through concert revenues we provided 227 musical instruments to the following institutions, at an equivalent value of 35 million yen:
1. Takata Senior High School (Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture)
2. Takata Elementary School (Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture)
3. Kamaishi Higashi Junior High School (Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture)
4. Watanoba Junior High School (Ishinomaki Ciity,Miyagi Prefecture)
5. Minato Junior High School (Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture)
6. Kobunkan Senior High School (Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture)
7. Noda Junior High School (Noda Village, Iwate Prefecture)
8. Ishinomaki Brass Band Association (Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture)
On August 5th we held another concert entitled “Concert of Heart: Hope” at Seinen Bunka Center in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, which many disaster survivors were able to enjoy for free.
AAR JAPAN
Six Months since the Great East Japan Earthquake: Activity Report
Please Don’t Forget the Disaster Zone – Your Support is Still Needed!
AAR JAPAN has been carrying out relief efforts for the victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake since the immediate aftermath of the disaster. In addition to delivering emergency supplies to those who have limited access to aid, such as persons with disabilities, the elderly, and survivors living at home, AAR JAPAN is also repairing welfare facilities, providing vehicles, and preparing soup kitchens.
Some survivors continue to live in emergency shelters, while many others have transferred to temporary housing. The move to temporary housing has led to new concerns, such as survivors’ tendency to stay inside because they have few friends or acquaintances in their new neighborhoods. Through the Building Healthy Communities Project, AAR JAPAN has been providing rehabilitation and healthcare services, psychological care, and community interaction and exchange events that enable survivors to reclaim and maintain their physical and mental health.
Half a year has passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake, yet many survivors in the disaster zone still need your support. The further people live from the disaster zone, the more quickly the earthquake and its aftermath slip from their collective memory. AAR JAPAN will continue our efforts on the behalf of the survivors, and we beg your ongoing support.
Below is a report on the activities that AAR JAPAN’s supporters have enabled us to carry out in the last six months:
AAR JAPAN’s Projects in Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake
1. Delivering Relief for Families in Temporary Housing and Leased Housing in Fukushima Prefecture (Approximately 35,000 families)
2. Building Healthy Communities Project
3. Delivery of Relief Supplies
4. Soup Kitchens
5. Institutional Reconstruction
6. Providing Vehicles
7. Container Housing Project
8. Hand-made Tote Bag Project
9. Providing Musical Instruments
10. Psychological Care for Children (Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture)
11. “Let’s Bring Hot Springs to the Disaster Zone!” Project (Concluded)
12. Shuttle Buses (Concluded June 4th)
13. Support for Food Service at Schools in Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture (Concluded)
1. Delivering Relief for Families in Temporary Housing and Leased Housing in Fukushima Prefecture (Approximately 35,000 families)
With a grant from Japan Platform (JPF)* and in cooperation with ADRA Japan, we have been supporting the day-to-day lives of all the families living in temporary housing and leased housing in Fukushima Prefecture. As the Japanese Red Cross has decided to distribute six-piece sets of home electrical appliances in earthquake- and tsunami-affected areas, AAR JAPAN has focused on providing items such as kitchenware, bathroom goods, vacuum cleaners, kotatsu (heated tables) and regular tables, kitchen cabinets, and so on, based on requests from municipal governments.
We are targeting 13 municipalities in the Hamadori and Nakadori regions of Fukushima: Soma City, Minami-Soma City, Shinchi Town, Iitate Village, Tomioka Town, Kawauchi Village, Koriyama City, Sukagawa City, Kagamiishi City, Shirakawa City, Nishigo Village, Yabuki Town, and Izumisaki Village. In order to contribute to the economic recovery of the local communities, we are collaborating with the local Commerce and Industry Associations in 10 municipalities to source as many aid goods locally as possible. As of August 31st, we have completed the delivery of relief supplies to 12,100 households in the target area.
*Japan Platform (JPF) facilitates the cooperation of NGOs, governments, and corporations in conducting emergency assistance for natural disasters, refugees, and internally displaced people. JPF operates with government funding and donations from corporations and individuals.
2. Building Healthy Communities Project
AAR JAPAN has been providing rehabilitation and health-related services, mobile clinics, sanitation services, psychological care, and community interaction and exchange events for about 3,000 people, focusing on people with disabilities, the elderly, survivors staying in their own homes, and people staying in temporary housing in the affected areas of Miyagi and Iwate Prefectures. Through these comprehensive efforts, AAR JAPAN continues to support people in the disaster zone as they work to maintain both their physical and mental health.
Rehabilitation Services
AAR JAPAN has been providing rehabilitation services by sending occupational therapists and physiotherapists to evacuation centers, senior care facilities, facilities for people with disabilities, temporary housing, and individual homes in Miyagi and Iwate Prefectures, offering rehabilitation visits and massages to 457 people from July 9th to September 3rd.
Mobile Clinics and Health-related Services
AAR JAPAN has visited Makinohama, Takenohama, Kitsunezaki-hama, Sudachi, Fukkiura, Kozumihama, and Kobuchihama on the Oshika Peninsula, where approximately 640 survivors are taking shelter in their homes. Led by Dr. Toshiaki YASUDA, a local medical practitioner, AAR’s medical team has established a mobile clinic and implemented health-related services such as checking up on sufferers of chronic illnesses, preventing the spread of infectious diseases, and implementing psychological support. We examined a total of 772 people between April 9th and August 31st. Home-care nurses visited an additional 242 people in temporary housing in Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture, between August 10th and August 31st.
Sanitation Services
AAR JAPAN has implemented sanitation services for approximately 1,000 people in evacuation centers in Ishinomaki City and Minami-Sanriku Town, Miyagi Prefecture. As futons, blankets, and mattresses became dirty as a result of long-term use in evacuation centers, we dried them in the sun, collecting old and dirty futons while offering new summer-season bedding. We also engaged in general cleaning in evacuation centers, where summer’s rise in humidity and temperature led to the deterioration of sanitary conditions, including a huge increase in flies and mosquitoes.
We also distributed futon driers, vacuum cleaners, dehumidifiers, cleaning equipment, insect repellent and insecticides (fly tape, mite killer, etc.) with instruction on their use. To reduce the risk of food poisoning, we delivered refrigerators to evacuation centers that lacked them. We implemented these efforts in 25 evacuation centers from June 14th to August 31st.
Psychological Care
In order to mitigate stress both from the earthquake and from long-term evacuee life, AAR JAPAN has been sending counselors to evacuation centers, temporary housing units, and individual homes to provide psychological care. We provided counseling for 47 people between August 6th and September 3rd.
Community Interaction and Exchange Events
AAR JAPAN has been actively promoting community interaction and exchange events to help promote the development of social ties in evacuation shelters and temporary housing. In this effort, we have been organizing soup kitchens, delivering relief supplies, and providing rehabilitation services such as massages and aroma therapy. To date, we have organized or participated in the following community events:
- Participated in a festival at Wako Kindergarten in Shichi-ga-hama Town, Miyagi Prefecture (July 23rd).
- Participated in the Bon Festival in Onagawa Town, Miyagi Prefecture (August 15th).
- Organized a soup kitchen and a community interaction and exchange event at an evacuation shelter in Higashi-hama Elementary School on the Oshika Peninsula, Miyagi Prefecture (August 18th).
- Organized a soup kitchen, massage services, and a community interaction and exchange event in Touni Town, Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture (August 20th).
- Organized a soup kitchen, massage services, and a watermelon-splitting game (a traditional summer event) in Otomo Town, Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture (August 20th).
- Organized a relaxation event with aromatic therapists at Higashi-hama Elementary School in Miyagi Prefecture (August 23rd).
3. Delivery of Relief Supplies to Affected Areas from March 14th to September 8th
Delivery Points
978 locations totaling an estimated 73,244 people
Miyagi Prefecture: Sendai City, Ishinomaki City, Kesen-numa City, Natori City, Tome City, Higashi-Matsushima City, Onagawa Town, Tagajo City, Iwanuma City, Minami-Sanriku Town, Yamamoto Town, Shiogama City
Iwate Prefecture: Otsuchi Town, Ofunato City, Rikuzen-takata City, Kamaishi City, Yamada Town
Fukushima Prefecture: Soma City, Minami-Soma City
Yamagata Prefecture: Kamiyama City
And others.
Delivery Facilities
Evacuation shelters, facilities for persons with disabilities, facilities for the elderly, social welfare councils, foster homes, shopping centers, social welfare corporations, volunteer centers, ambulatory facilities for the elderly, disaster countermeasures offices, temporary housing, evacuees’ homes, day-care centers, kindergartens, elementary schools, junior high schools, senior high schools, and others.
Relief Supplies Delivered
Diesel oil (13,600 liters), Kerosene (4,400 liters), Gasoline (2,060 liters), Water (14 tons), Rice (2.5 tons), Milk (480 packs), Sweet-bean cakes (41,000 units), Vegetables (Potatoes: about 627 kg, carrots: about 515 kg, onions: about 1,213 kg, spinach: about 348 units, cabbage: 786 units, Chinese radishes: 345 units, leeks: about 170 kg, bell peppers: about 4 kg, tomatoes: about 421 bags; also cucumbers, lettuce, chives, eggplants, kidney beans, ”edamame” beans, pumpkins, burdock roots, taro, sweet potatoes, Chinese cabbage, corn, Japanese mustard spinach, dried shiitake and others), Fruit (Mandarin oranges, bananas, small watermelons: about 568 units, grapefruit, melons, and others), Eggs (124 packs), Other food (Retort foods, food for the elderly, canned food, miso, soy sauce, dietary supplements, etc.), Blankets, Bedclothes, Underwear, Clothes and scarves, Towels and hand cloths, “Furoshiki” wrapping cloths, Face masks (73,280 units), Hand warmers (5,000 units), Sleeping bags (3,400 units), Cold medicine and other medical supplies, Toothbrushes (10,000 units), Paper diapers, Adult diapers, Women’s sanitary products, Batteries, Baby products (Baby food, pacifiers, feeding bottles, baby wipes, etc.), High-pressure washers (32 units), Chainsaws (30 units), Shovels (12 units), Boots (100 pairs), Books and picture books (20 boxes), Crayons (300 sets), Cell phone chargers (120 units), Computers (39 units), Computer desks (3 units), Printers (2 units), Bicycles (284 units), Carts (10 units), Carriage(1 unit), Washing machines (18 units), Dryers (26 units), Refrigerators (25 units), Telephones (6 units), Televisions (14 units), CD players (10 units), Portable radios (10 units), Phlegm suction devices (2 units), Care beds (23 units), Rollaway beds (2 units), Beds (1 unit), Wheelchairs (8 units), Care chairs (8 units), Walkers (48 units), Walking sticks (71 units), Power generators (3 unit), Knives (20 units), Cutting boards (20 units), Small shelving units (13 units), Book shelves (1 unit), Clothing cases (6 units), Disinfectant spray (500 units), Hand soap (168 units), Reading glasses (100 units), Stuffed toys, Irons and ironing boards (60 units each), Electric fans (103 units), Vacuum cleaners (57 units), Rice cookers (11 units), Dish driers (2 unit), Futon dehumidifiers (34 units), Dehumidifiers (40 units), Microwave ovens (9units), Thermos (13 units), Digital cameras (6 units), DVD players (1 unit), Video cameras (1 unit), Reflective heaters (6 units), Automated blood pressure meters (38 units), Scales (30 units), Rotary duplicators (2 units), Futon sets (139 units), Mattresses (50 units), Sheets (35 units), Cotton blankets (183 units), Insecticide, insect-repellant spray, fly tape, mosquito coils, mosquito nets, etc. 12-roll sets of toilet paper (15 bags), Laundry detergent, Dishwashing detergent, Toilet-bowl cleaner, Washing baskets (50 units), Hangers (30 units), Cleaning buckets (50 units), Paper plates (1,000 units), Notebooks (40 units), Copy paper (500 sheets), Tinfoil and cling wrap (60 units each), Grass cutters (10 units), Lawn mowers (1 unit), Cucumber seedlings (74 units), Tomato seedlings (82 units), Flower seedlings (10 units), Screen windows (14 units), Laundry poles, Summer clothing, Boots, sandals, Slippers, Ice packs (35 units), neck coolers (5,000 units), Play pools, Nutritional supplements (2,000 bags), Umbrellas (4 units), Nagoya harps (3 units), Electric pianos (1 unit), Pianos (2 units), Keyboards (1 unit), Taiko drums (4 units), Tea paraphernalia, Musical instruments, Sewing machines, and others.
4. Soup Kitchens
In coordination with Ingram Co., Ltd., which is responsible for the Peace Project, AAR JAPAN has been organizing soup kitchens in Miyagi, Iwate, and Fukushima Prefectures. From March 31st to August 28th, we prepared soup kitchens in the following locations:
Soup Kitchen Locations (Estimated 21,891 meals served in 61 locations)
Miyagi Prefecture: Watanoha, Aikawa, Kitakami, and Ayukawa areas (Oshika Peninsula) in Ishinomaki City; Wakabayashi District in Sendai City; Tagajo City; Shizugawa and Utatsu in Minami-Sanriku Town; Niitsuki, Shishiori, and Omose areas in Kesen-numa City
Iwate Prefecture: Kamaishi City, Rikuzen-takata City, Taro Town in Miyako City, Yamada Town
Fukushima Prefecture: Hara Town in Minami-Soma City
Soup Kitchen Menu
Tokushima ramen, Oden, Beef stew, Yakisoba (Fried noodles), Fried chicken, Vegetable sticks, Chukadon (Chinese-style stir-fried meat and vegetables on rice), Beef steak, Onion soup, Tuna sashimi on rice, Chanko-nabe (hot pot), Apple pie, Onion sauté, Minestrone, Ground chicken with egg and vegetables on rice, Fish miso soup, Hijiki seaweed mix, Fried sweet potato, Cabbage rolls, Mixed bean-curd lees and vegetables, Autumn rice, Pork miso soup, Stewed fish, Cabbage and spinach side dishes, Somen noodles, Minced fish soup, Hand-made sweet potato pies, Hand-made langue du chats, Samgyetang (Korean chicken ginseng soup), Yakitori (grilled chicken), Miso soup with tofu and shimeji mushrooms, Stewed meat and potatoes, Boiled komatsuna (Japanese mustard spinach), Pasta with meat sauce, Potato salad, Miso soup with Chinese cabbage and shiitake mushrooms, Boiled field mustard, Inarizushi (fried tofu stuffed with vinegared rice), Cooked radish and minced meat, Kashiwa mochi (rice cake wrapped in oak leaf), Fried whitefish, Miso soup with radish, Root salad, Fruit Jell-O, Udon noodles, Almond Jell-O, Stir-fried meat with vegetables, Gyoza (Chinese dumplings), Borscht, Miso soup with clams, Marinated octopus, Miso soup with cabbage and Japanese mustard spinach, Squid with wasabi, Seafood curry and rice (with scallops, clams and shrimp), Japanese sweets and amazake (sweet mild sake), Charcoal-broiled fish, Kakigori (shaved ice with flavored syrup), Grilled corn, Kitsune udon, Okonomiyaki (Japanese pancakes), Japanese dace, Daikon-oroshi (grated Japanese radish), Pickled vegetables, Unaju (grilled eel on rice), Vegetables pickled in sake lees, Miso soup with wakame seaweed and green onion, Rice-fed pork from Sumida Town grilled with local vegetables on rice, etc.
5. Institutional Reconstruction
In coordination with local construction companies, AAR JAPAN has been repairing senior care facilities and facilities for persons with disabilities in 60 locations in order to accelerate resumption of services. From April 21st to September 6th, we repaired the following facilities:
- Minori-kai Rubert Social Welfare Corporation
(Natori City, Miyagi Prefecture)
- Shinwa-kai Clovers Pier Wasse Social Welfare Corporation
(Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
- Himawari Senshin-Kai Yume-no-mori Workshop Social Welfare Corporation
(Kesen-numa City, Miyagi Prefecture)
- Yamoto-aiiku-kai Gin-no-hoshi Social Welfare Corporation
(Higashi-Matsushima City, Miyagi Prefecture)
- Kurihara-shuho-kai Social Welfare Corporation
(Kurihara City, Miyagi Prefecture)
- Fureai-no-mori Social Welfare Corporation
(Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
- Yoko Fukushi-kai Echo Ryouiku-en Social Welfare Corporation
(Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
- Coconet Autism Peering Center
(NPO, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
- Seiwa-kai Miyama-sou Special Nursing Home
(Social Welfare Corporation, Yamamoto Town, Watari County, Miyagi Prefecture)
- Aisen-kai Kamuri Gakuen Social Welfare Corporation
(Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)
- Hoshin-kai Omatsu-Gakuen Social Welfare Corporation
(Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture)
- Kamikuri-sou Kamaishi Kyosei-kai Group Home
(NPO, Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture)
- Yoshihama-sou Aisei-kai Facility for Persons with Disabilities
(Social Welfare Corporation, Ofunato City, Iwate Prefecture)
- Kojuen Special Elderly Nursing Home
(Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture)
- Kourin-kai Lumbini-en Social Welfare Corporation
(Hanamaki City, Iwate Prefecture)
- Sansan-kai Asunaro Home Social Welfare Corporation
(Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture)
- Yamada Kyosei-kai Yamada Kyosei Workshop Social Welfare Corporation
(Yamada Town, Shimohei County, Iwate Prefecture)
- Taiyou-kai Jiai Fukushi Gakuen Social Welfare Corporation
(Ofunato City, Iwate Prefecture)
- Taiyou-kai Social Welfare Corporation
(Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture)
- Taiyou-kai Aomatsu-kan Social Welfare Corporation
(Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture)
- Matsubara Home Social Welfare Corporation’s Aiiku-kai Machikado Counseling Room
(Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture)
- Shouyu Kamaishi Work Station Social Welfare Corporation
(Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture)
Reconstruction Sites
Miyagi Prefecture: 37 locations (14 in Sendai City, 2 in Shiraishi City, 4 in Kesen-numa City, 1 in Tome City, 1 in Higashi-Matsushima City, 4 in Natori City, 1 in Kurihara City, 2 in Ishinomaki City, 1 in Shiogama City, 2 in Yamamoto Town, 2 in Minami-Sanriku Town, 1 in Zao Town, 1 in Marumori Town, 1 in Shibata Town)
Iwate Prefecture: 23 locations (4 in Ofunato City, 5 in Rikuzen-takata City, 6 in Kamaishi City, 1 in Hanamaki City, 2 in Otsuchi Town, 2 in Yamada Town, 1 in Miyako City, 2 in Tanohata Village)
AAR JAPAN will continue reconstruction of facilities for persons with disabilities and senior care facilities in the affected areas of Miyagi and Iwate Prefectures in coordination with each prefecture’s welfare division, social welfare council, and other related organizations. AAR JAPAN’s reconstruction efforts have been made possible through the cooperation of our supporters and a grant from Japan Platform (JPF).
6. Providing Vehicles
AAR JAPAN has been providing vehicles as a vital means of transportation for people who use welfare facilities. We have provided the following vehicles to 7 facilities:
- 1 van - Senshin-kai Nozomi Welfare Workshop Social Welfare Cooperation
(Minami-Sanriku Town, Miyagi Prefecture)
- 1 mini-vehicle – Hak’s House
(NPO, Iwate Prefecture)
- 1 pickup van – Ishinomaki Shoshin-kai Kujira-no-shippo Service Facility for Persons with Disabilities
(Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture)
- 1 mini-vehicle – Kick-off Career and Life Support Center for Persons with Disabilities
(Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture)
- 1 van – Work House Atelie
(Miyako City, Iwate Prefecture)
- 1 elderly-care taxi – Yamazaki taxi
(Yamada Town, Shimohei County, Iwate Prefecture)
- 1 compact car – Hikami-no-sono
(Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture)
This project has been carried out in cooperation with Accenture Co., Ltd., the Tokyo Art Club, JTI Foundation, and the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of New York, Inc. (JCCI).
7. Container Housing Project
At the recommendation of international journalist Izuru SUGAWARA, AAR JAPAN has been providing easy-to-build prefabricated container housing units in the disaster zone. To date, we have installed 30 units in the town of Onagawa in Oshika County, Miyagi Prefecture. These container housing units are being used by evacuees as private residences and small shops.
8. Hand-made Tote Bag Project
AAR JAPAN collected hand-made tote bags in response to requests from people in evacuation centers and senior care facilities for bags to carry their personal belongings. By May 20th, AAR JAPAN had received 5,000 bags from inside and outside of Japan. Volunteers helped to attach AAR JAPAN’s “Sunny-chan” mascot straps to the bags and deliver them to evacuees, with a special focus on the elderly. People who received the bags were pleased not only with the bags themselves, but also with the various encouraging messages written inside.
9. Providing Musical Instruments
In cooperation with AAR JAPAN’s sister organization, Support 21 Social Welfare Corporation, we held two fund-raising concerts: “Home” at the Opera City Concert Hall in Tokyo on May 20th, and “Concert of Heart: Hope” at the Seinen Culture Center in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture. Through concert revenues we provided a total of 232 musical instruments to the following institutions, at an equivalent value of 35 million yen:
- Takata Senior High School (Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture)
- Takata Elementary School (Rikuzen-takata City, Iwate Prefecture)
- Kamaishi Higashi Junior High School (Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture)
- Watanoba Junior High School (Ishinomaki Ciity,Miyagi Prefecture)
- Minato Junior High School (Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture)
- Kobunkan Senior High School (Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture)
- Noda Junior High School (Noda Village, Iwate Prefecture)
- Kamaishi Higashi Junior High School (Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture)
- Ishinomaki Brass Band Association (Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture)
With the support of Tokyo Kotsu Kaikan and Yamano Music Co., Ltd., we delivered 8 sets of electronic pianos, amplifiers, and microphones, as well as other items, to the following daycare centers in Miyagi Prefecture between July 11th and July 31st:
- Hashikami Daycare Center (Kesen-numa City)
- Shishiori Daycare Center (Kesen-numa City)
- Shizugawa Daycare Center (Minami-Sanriku Town, Motoyoshi County)
- Isatomae Daycare Center (Minami-Sanriku Town, Motoyoshi County)
- Watari Daycare Center (Watari Town, Watari County)
- Akai Minami Daycare Center (Higashi-Matsushima City)
- Arisu Daycare Center (Ishinomaki City)
- Yoshihama Daycare Center (Ishinomaki City)
- Hagihama Daycare Center (Ishinomaki City)
10. Psychological Care for Children (Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture)
AAR JAPAN has been supporting the SOMA Follower Team, a nonprofit organization formed by Soma City to provide psychological care for children. The six-person team includes clinical psychologists, psychiatric social workers, and healthcare workers who have been providing psychological care for students and their parents at affected kindergartens, elementary schools, and junior high schools in Soma City. During summer vacation, they visited schools on fixed dates and gave counseling at meeting places in temporary housing sites. Although few children have shown strong signs of stress, some complain of headaches, stomachaches, nausea, and other concerns. AAR JAPAN will continue to care for the children of Soma City.
11. “Let’s Bring Hot Springs to the Disaster Zone!” Project (Concluded)
In coordination with Manyo Club Co., Ltd. (Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture), Ascendia Inc. (Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo) and other companies, AAR JAPAN implemented the “Let’s Bring Hot Springs to the Disaster Zone!” Project.
With the cooperation of Kanagawa Prefecture’s Yugawara Onsen (hot spring), on the first day of the project, April 9th, AAR JAPAN delivered hot spring water to four evacuation centers in Matsushima City, Miyagi Prefecture: Yamoto Icchu Junior High School, Akai City Center, Ushiami Community Center, and Asai Civic Center.
After April 12th, in partnership with Miyagi Prefecture’s Onikobe Onsen (hot spring), AAR JAPAN delivered hot spring water to 6 evacuation centers: Yamoto Icchu (later divided into 2 locations), Ushiami Community Center, Akai City Center, Asai Civic Center, and Miyato Elementary School in Higashi Matsushima City, as well as Ishinomaki Shoshin-kai Social Welfare Corporation in Ishinomaki City, every day except Sundays. These 6 delivery points enabled 500-600 evacuees to bathe every day. AAR JAPAN provided the service until the end of May.
12. Shuttle Buses (Concluded)
In Miyagi Prefecture, AAR JAPAN aided in the operation of a shuttle bus service on Ishinomaki City’s Oshika Peninsula, providing mobility for those who had lost their regular means of transportation. A light shuttle bus circulated twice a day in the Ogihama area and once a day in the Ayukawa area. Beginning April 10th, approximately 530 people in the Ogihama area and 220 people in the Ayukawa area used the buses. After roads were repaired and normal bus lines resumed operation, the shuttle bus service was concluded on June 4th.
13. Support for Food Service at Schools in Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture (Concluded)
In Fukushima Prefecture’s Minami-Soma City, all the elementary and junior high school children still living within a 30-km radius of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (Haramachi and Odaka Wards) have been directed to take buses to school in Kashima Ward, which is outside of the 30-km radius. While the number of students in Kashima Ward has suddenly increased, the supply of local vegetables has been limited as a result of the power plant accident, and it became difficult to supply lunches for the students. AAR JAPAN cooperated with the local board of education to deliver vegetable juice and rice for the students (approximately 2800 students), providing vegetable juice twice a week and 2 tons of rice for everyday use from July 1st to July 22nd.
Daigo TAKAGI
8.24.2011
After Earthquake, Difficulty in Procuring Food for School Lunch in Minami-Soma City
In Minami-Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture, it remains uncertain when elementary and junior high schools within 30 km of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant will be able to resume operations. Students who used to go to elementary and junior high schools in Minami-Soma’s Haramachi and Odaka Wards have been busing to 3 elementary schools and 1 junior high school in Kashima Ward, which is situated outside of the 30-km radius.
After the earthquake, Minami-Soma City had no choice but to ask the school lunch center in Kashima Ward to provide lunches on an extremely limited budget, with each lunch allotted as little as 200 yen in July. Although a portion of the emergency relief supplies provided to Minami-Soma City was used for school lunch until the end of June, the rice supply was exhausted, and the city was not able to purchase any more due to the budget restraints. The accident at the nuclear power plant has made it difficult to procure local vegetables, and there is no budget to purchase vegetables from other prefectures. With shortages in both rice and vegetables, it has become difficult to provide nutritionally balanced lunches for the increased number of students in the schools.
Delivery of Rice and Vegetable Juice
Hearing of the lunch situation from the Minami-Soma Board of Education, from July 1st to 22nd AAR JAPAN delivered 2 tons of rice and 16,802 cans of vegetable juice (enough for 2 servings per week) to schools in Kashima Ward. Vegetable juice is easy to drink, and provides an essential nutritional supplement for students.
Due to the increased number of students, some schools in Kashima Ward have experienced a shortage of classrooms, with screens being set up in the gym to create temporary classrooms to cover the shortfall. With so much changed in school, the students can take comfort in rice and vegetable juice at lunchtime.
The initial round of lunch service to Minami-Soma City was completed on July 22nd, with the city henceforth expecting to collect lunch fees from students’ parents. However, we still plan to rent a truck for lunch service from August 25th to September 24th at the start of the second semester.
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The above are excerpts from our English blog which highlight some of AARJ's work in Tohoku in the past few months. To find a complete list of articles, visit our English blog at http://aarjapan.blogspot.com.
Haruka Hinosugi, AAR JAPAN
The following are excerpts from our English blog which highlight some of AARJ's work in Tohoku in the past few months. To find a complete list of articles, visit our English blog at http://aarjapan.blogspot.com.
8.05.2011
AAR JAPAN has been supporting the repair of buildings and grounds at over 50 facilities for people with disabilities and the elderly that have been affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake. Our efforts to help these facilities resume operations as quickly as possible have been greatly appreciated, as the application process for government support is lengthy, and this type of support is not always covered by government recovery programs.
Support for Reopening Facilities for People with Disabilities
Rubato, an ambulatory rehabilitation center for people with disabilities near Sendai Airport in Natori City, Miyagi Prefecture, was the only facility in Natori City providing services for people who have combined intellectual and physical disabilities. When the earthquake hit, all of the clients and staff were able to evacuate safely, but cars and debris were swept into the building, and the facility’s office supplies and vehicles were ruined. After the disaster, the center was unable to resume operations, as there were restrictions on construction in the area.
Fortunately, Rubato was able to relocate free of charge to a former livestock clinic, and AAR JAPAN has supported renovation of the interior of the building. We repaired the floor, placed a carpet, and renovated the Japanese-style toilet for use by people with disabilities. Renovation work was completed on June 31st. We had seen the center’s clients looking anxious as a result of the effects of the earthquake, but setting up a new location for Rubato’s operations brought smiles back to their faces.
Museum for Artwork by People with Disabilities
In Ishinomaki City, Iwate Prefecture, AAR JAPAN supported the repair of facilities at Runbini Museum, which exhibits artwork by people with intellectual disabilities and offers studio space on its upper floor.
The museum had been unable to display some of its artwork due to earthquake damage such as cracked walls and ceilings. After restoration was completed on July 13th, people were able to use the facility as before. They commented, “It’s brighter and feels better now.” The museum is full of unique and wonderful artwork that will be sure to delight any visitor. Please be sure to stop by the museum when you are around!
This project has been made possible through generous individual donations and through grants from Japan Platform and Accenture Japan, Ltd.
Junko MITO & Yuki DAIZUMOTO
May 17, 2011
Yasushi TANAKA, Ryo OIKAWA, Akiko KATOH
The following are excerpts from our English blog which highlight some of AARJ's work in Tohoku in the past few weeks. To find a complete list of articles, visit our English blog at http://aarjapan.blogspot.com.
In its continuing efforts to provide aid and relief to survivors of the Great East Japan Earthquake, on May 19 AAR JAPAN delivered electric cookers, electric kettles, garbage bags, towels, underwear, socks, and snacks to Senior Garden, a facility for the elderly in Fukushima City, and Ekuseru, a group home in Soma City, both in Fukushima Prefecture. The following report contains details for each.
Finding Shelter After the Storm: The difficult search for a new home for the residents of Senior Garden
Senior Garden is a group home for the elderly who suffer from dementia which operated in Tomioka Town, Futaba County in Fukushima Prefecture. Located just 9km from the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant, the residents and staff were required by the government to evacuate to a noodle restaurant in Kawauchi Village in the same county. In Kawauchi however residents were on orders to remain confined to their houses, but for the uprooted residents of Senior Garden, staying together in big evacuation sites was difficult. Fukushima Prefectural Group Home Council for Dementia assisted the seniors by finding them an apartment in Fukushima city to rent out and use as a group home. Starting March 22, fifteen people have been receiving continuous care in the home.
For elderly individuals with dementia, even small environmental changes can induce great stress. The trauma of the evacuation had emergency-level medical consequences for some. A 70-year-old man, one of the residents of Senior Garden, suffered a hemorrhage due to a stomach ulcer, causing him to vomit and discharge blood. With his blood pressure falling, he was immediately taken to a hospital, but it his admittance and care was delayed until he was given a screening test for exposure to radiation.
Yasuhiro SUZUKI, Managing Director of Senior Garden, and his wife Yoko, Executive Director, are committed to overseeing the facility. Ms. Yoko SUZUKI said, “This group home is a second family for us. We don’t know when we can go back to Tomioka Town, but we’ve been trying to keep our spirits up, and are determined that we will remain at the sides of those whom we are caring for, even as they pass on.” Despite this determination, two residents are currently receiving care in a professional hospital, and it is clear that living as evacuees has undermined the health of many residents, and it is clear that despite the staff's best efforts, they are undersupplied and understaffed. AAR Japan has responded by supplying food and goods to support the continued operation of the new Senior Garden.
While I had a chance to witness the improvement AAR's supplies had on the conditions in which the staff and residents of Senior Garden lived, I realized it was in the smiles and warm words they exchanged that each found a reason to persevere in the face of this disaster. In their hearts was a greater medicine greater than anyone could ever provide.
The Fukushima Fallout: Nuclear accident continues to disrupt aid to Fukushima prefecture.
Ekuseru is a group home for people with dementia in Soma City. It is located 37km from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactor, and is now taking care of 9 elderly people, including 3 who are bedridden.
In the aftermath of the Fukushima Daiichi incident, supplies have been slow to arrive in the region. In the summer, temperatures can rise as high as 33°C (91°F), and in the face of electricity shortages, the staff of Ekuseru continues to worry how they will mange in the summer heat. While other people have relocated, drastic environmental change can cause panic among for the residents of Ekuseru, which can have serious medical consequences (as happened in the case of the Senior Garden).
The situation at Ekuseru embodies much of the anxiety that afflicts the entire the seacoast of Fukushima prefecture, where persisting concerns over the nuclear power plant, radiation, evacuation orders, and insufficient supply distribution continue to plague the population. Today’s visit helped show us how this anxiety particularly troubles the staff and residents of welfare facilities, who are left with little other choice but to desperately wait for outside aid to arrive.
It is to this cause AAR Japan is committed: to continue our efforts to provide aid for hard-to-reach people, like those at Senior Garden and Ekuseru, and to ensure that relief finds it's way to those most in need of help.
AAR JAPAN delivered drinking water, a water tank, and diapers to Ms. Chiba, who has been living as an evacuee on the outskirts of Kesennuma City in Miyagi Prefecture. Residents in the area once drew their water from the town well, but the water has become undrinkable after the tsunami contaminated it with seawater and heavy oil. A temporary waterworks was set up at a local stream, but residents had to trek for nearly an hour to retrieve their water for the day.
Water tanks like the one AAR has provided to Ms. Chiba will give residents to have access to a stable reservoir of water when deliveries are delayed and emergencies necessitate immediate access. After the exhausting task of installing the tank, Ms. Chiba and I looked upon a still untouched heap of rubble near her house. It is clear that despite progress, there is still much work to be done.
(Reporter: Takeshi ABE at Sendai office)
Making use of wood buried in rubble to stimulate independent recovery
Murakami Sawmill has supported the carpenters in Rikuzen-Takata City in Iwate Prefecture for a long time, and once again is coming to the rescue with a plan to put carpenters back to work while helping the survivors of the tsunami find comfort in their new homes. Murakami has provided shelter for the carpenters who have lost their homes and workplaces, and in turn is having them recycle wood from the rubble of destroyed buildings to make benches and furniture for residents moving into temporary housing. The carpenters of Kikuzen-Takata have worked hard in their free hours to craft these benches, and will provide them to residents with no charge.
These benches offer a small glimpse at normalcy for the survivors, and as Iwate begins the long process of reconstruction, these benches perfectly embody this rebuilding sentiment. Murakami hopes that the benches can help connect the survivors to each other into the coming summer.
While AAR JAPAN continues to provide relief and support to the area, it is clear that the people of Iwate are beginning to find their own ways to rebuild. AAR JAPAN will continue to support these survivors as face forward and take their first steps towards recovery. (Reporter: Yuka YOKOTA at Morioka office)
May 27th - Yuka YOKOTA, AAR JAPAN (right), is interviewing Mr. KIN, a carpenter who has been sheltered at Murakami Sawmill after his workplace and house were swept away by the tsunami. (Rikuzen Takata City, Iwate Prefecture)
Widening the Circle of Support Hand-in-Hand with Local Communities
Yamada Kyosei Workshop (Yamada Town, Iwate prefecture) has served as a supply distribution base for the elderly and persons with disabilities in the area. Regular patrons of the supply center include a person with a mental disability who lives alone deep in the mountains, a person with a visual impairment whose shop and house were completely destroyed, and an 83-year-old woman who has been is running her own shop out of a shed, which doubles as her home.
For suvivors who have been able to remain in their homes, it is not easy to understand the difficulties which evacuees face, especially by those who are elderly or have disabilities. We hope to widen the circle of support for these people with the help of companies like Yamada Kyosei Workshop. Mr. SATO, chief of Yamada Kyosei, said, “We would like to keep close contact with AAR JAPAN and cooperate to support people who have been in trouble in their houses in Yamada area.”
(Reporters: Ryo OIKAWA and Teruyo MIYAGAWA at Morioka office)
May 31st – Ryo OIKAWA (right end) and Teruyo MIYAGAWA (left end) delivered food such as vegetables and fruits to Mr. Sato, Chief of Yamada kyosei workshop. (Yamada Town, Iwate Prefecture)
AAR JAPAN has operated a series of soup kitchens throughout the Tohoku prefectures, and to date has distributed over 16,500 meals at 26 locations in Fukushiuma, Iwate, and Miyagi prefectures.
The following stories relate to soup kitchen operations from April 30 to May 7 (during Golden Week) at Seiyukan (a welfare facility in Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture), Osawa Furusato Center, Osawa Elementary School and Yamada Town Hall (the last three in Yamada Town, Iwate Prefecture).
This is a report from Akiko KATOH, who worked in the soup kitchen at Seiyukan.
Delivering Food at Evacuation Centers in Oshika Peninsula for 8 Days
May 5th, 2011: AAR JAPAN's relief workers have worked hard to provide varried menus. On this day, we prepared Chinese dumplings (gyoza).
Seiyukan used to be a facility for people with disabilities and for the elderly and is located in Ayukawa, Oshika Pensinsula. Since the earthquake, it has served as an evacuation center for around 140 people. AAR JAPAN provided lunch and dinner for the evacuees at Seiyukan throughout "Golden Week", a series of important holidays during which people usually take time off from work and travel, but this year was characterized by a massive outpouring of volunteer work in Tohoku.
The approximately 20 people who worked in these facilities worked tirelessly through Golden week to provide meals for the evacuees at Seiyukan. We woke awoke at 6 every morning to commute from Sendai and Taiwa to the rural peninsula of Oshika, our cars rattling with ingredients to be used in the soup kitchen of the day. We would usually arrive at the southern tip of the peninsula by 9, and immediately begin discussing what our plans will be for the day.
All That Work Just to Hear Them Say “It Was Delicious”
April 30th – AAR JAPAN deputy director Taki KATOH (in the center) also took part in serving the food.
Staff and volunteers from AAR JAPAN shared tasks to decide on who should be responsible for preparing the main dishes and the side dishes to ensure that the meals for the 140 evacuees would be prepared on time.
Putting our efforts into preparing good food for the evacuees was no easy task, but being told “Today’s meal was delicious” and “Being served a different menu every day makes me anxiously wait to see tomorrow’s!” was most rewarding.
Before Golden Week, all the meals served at Seiyukan had been prepared by the evacuees themselves. We at AAR JAPAN were glad to give them a long deserved rest, and a chance at a Golden Week of their own.
Improving Lives at the Evacuation Centers
May 3rd – Cleaning the toilets is also important work!
During the period we delivered to soup kitchens, we didn’t just prepare meals, but also helped to clean the toilets, tend lawns, and play with the kids and help them with homework, which are all important activities to improve the lives of those living at the evacuation centers.
One boy, who was usually in the baseball team at school but didn’t have the chance to play it lately, expressed how happy he was to play catch with one of the volunteers.
May 6th - AAR JAPAN staff Takeshi IKEDA (second from right) and Tomoya Soejima (third from right) with kids from Seiyukan.
On our final day at Seiyukan, people living in the facility thanked us for coming and invited us to visit them again. The kids were sad say goodbye to the staff members they had become friends with. We had only been there for a short time, but we were glad nonetheless to bring joy to everyone there.
By preparing their meals every day, we got the chance to witness the difficulties faced by the those living in the evacuation centers, especially for the children who were having difficulty coping with the disaster.
AAR JAPAN is continuing its efforts to bring soup kitchens to various locations throughout Tohoku, and to date has provided over 16,500 meals at 26 locations. While AAR provides necessary food and supplies for these people to survive, it is in the smiles which appear on their faces upon eating a fresh meal that we see the spirit to continue living in hope return.
Akiko KATOH, Tokyo Headquarters
(Born in Tokyo) Since April 2010, Akiko KATOH was mainly responsible for projects in Haiti and Zambia at Tokyo Headquarters. After graduating, she worked in a private company and received her Masters in Social Development from a British university. Before coming to AARJAPAN, she gained experience in governmental research institutes and foreign diplomatic missions.
Sayako NOGIWA (Ms.) and Izuru SUGAWARA (Mr.)
May 10th – Volunteers who worked to set up the container houses. Front center is Mr. Yoshiteru HORIE, Secretary General of AAR JAPAN. (Onagawa, Miyagi Prefecture) (Photo by Mr. Izuru SUGAWARA)
May 10th – Yubigahama, where the container houses were set up, remained untouched since the day of the Great East Japan Earthquake. (Onagawa, Miyagi Prefecture) (Photo by Mr. Izuru SUGAWARA)
Sayako NOGIWA and Mizuho SEKII
May 4th, 2011
Moeko NAGAI, Yoshitaka SUGISAWA and Ayumi YASUDA
April 22nd, 2011
Rapporteur:
April 28th, 2011
April 16th – When visiting patients, we inquire about their health and daily lives. Nurse Moeko NAGAI (left) measures a patient’s blood pressure.
Yukako NIIMI, Michitaka KOBAYASHI & Ayumi YASUDA
April 11th, 2011
April 12th, 2011
April 14th, 2011
AAR JAPAN
Yoshifumi KAWABATA
AAR JAPAN
Sayako NOGIWA
Yoshifumi KAWABATA
AAR JAPAN
AAR JAPAN
AAR JAPAN
Sopana HAGIWARA
Staff at welfare facility "Kusunoki" showing donated sweet-bean cake. A team of three from Sunmap Co.,Ltd., including Mr. Matsuoka, President (front right) came all the way from Kyushu to help the delivery (left, Sopana Hagiwara, Board Member of AAR JAPAN).
All at Kusunoki helped moving the items into the facility (center, Sopana Hagiwara)
Ryo YAMAURA
Sayako NOGIWA
