By Chiaki Furukawa | Senior Managing Director
More than a month after the Noto Peninsula earthquake, AAR Japan (Association for Aid and Relief, Japan) has been working tirelessly to support the victims who continue to live as evacuees in the bitter cold by providing soup kitchens, washing machines, and on-site massages. Here is a report from the field.
"I once washed my underwear in the freezing cold water of a stream," "I used to commute seven hours’ round trip to a laundromat in Kanazawa to do my laundry." AAR has been delivering food and hygiene supplies, and recently provided a washing machine in response to a strong request.
The area is supplied with water by the Self-Defense Forces and has electricity, so the washing machines can be used. A female resident said, "It was really hard for me for a month. This alone will be a big help," and looked relieved . We have also received requests from other nearby neighborhoods to use the facility, and we plan to make it available to as many people as possible.
The on-site massages by acupuncture, moxibustion, and physical therapists that have been offered since the end of January have also been well received. Some elderly people said, "I feel so much better now because my body has been stiff.
The soup kitchen program, which has been conducted since immediately after the earthquake, continues at evacuation centers in Wajima City, Suzu City, and other areas in cooperation with our partner NPO Peace Project (Representative: Ben Kato, AAR Director) and other organizations. The need for soup kitchens continues to be great, and since February AAR has financially supported a group of volunteers, including chefs from restaurants in Wajima City, and is coordinating daily with local officials and other organizations to ensure that the soup kitchen support will not be interrupted.
In the affected areas, there are too many requests that the local governments are unable to respond to. Therefore, AAR is working quickly to provide "bath vehicles", drinking water, water for daily use, etc. We would like to ask for your cooperation in AAR's emergency support for the Noto Peninsula earthquake.
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