Help disabled and elderly disaster survivors

by Association for Aid and Relief, Japan (AAR Japan)
Help disabled and elderly disaster survivors
Help disabled and elderly disaster survivors
Help disabled and elderly disaster survivors
Help disabled and elderly disaster survivors
Help disabled and elderly disaster survivors
Help disabled and elderly disaster survivors
Help disabled and elderly disaster survivors
Help disabled and elderly disaster survivors
Help disabled and elderly disaster survivors
Help disabled and elderly disaster survivors
Help disabled and elderly disaster survivors
Help disabled and elderly disaster survivors
Help disabled and elderly disaster survivors
Help disabled and elderly disaster survivors

Project Report | Mar 7, 2012
One Year After the Earthquake: Activity Report

By AAR JAPAN | Tokyo

Teddy Bears for Kids in Fukushima (January 2012)
Teddy Bears for Kids in Fukushima (January 2012)

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 HakosakHeart-Warming Chocolate Campaign (January 2012)

Heart-Warming Chocolate Campaign (January 2012)
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Jan 19, 2012
Ongoing Relief and Recovery Activities

By AAR JAPAN | Tokyo

Nov 26, 2011
Activity Report (7 month summary)

By AAR JAPAN | Public Relations

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Organization Information

Association for Aid and Relief, Japan (AAR Japan)

Location: Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo - Japan
Website:
Facebook: Facebook Page
Twitter: @aarjapan
Project Leader:
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Program Coordinator
United States

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