PRESS RELEASE – AAR JAPAN Launches Emergency Relief Operations for the Food Crisis in Eastern Africa

In response to the drought and subsequent food crisis in Eastern Africa, Association for Aid and Relief, Japan (AAR JAPAN) will begin emergency relief operations based out of its Nairobi office in Kenya.
The drought in the area is considered as the worst Eastern Africa has seen over the last 60 years, as 11 million people are said to be in dire need of assistance. Especially in Somalia, tens of thousands of people have already died of malnutrition, and 3.7 million people, approximately half the country’s population, are in great risk of death (according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, as of July 23^rd 2011).

AAR JAPAN is dispatching Ikuko NATORI (Ms.), Go IGARASHI (Mr.) and Hiromi KAWANO (Ms.) to Kenya at the beginning of August, and they are set to start food distribution and healthcare projects.

AAR JAPAN has been delivering aid and relief in response to various large scale disasters such as the Sumatra Earthquake, the Myanmar Cyclone, the Haiti Earthquake and others. In addition, AAR JAPAN entered the disaster affected areas shortly after the Great East Japan Earthquake hit the Tohoku area of Japan, and has been carrying out relief activities from very early on. AAR JAPAN will use its expertise gained from previous experiences to effectively carry out relief efforts in Eastern Africa.

At the moment, we are only receiving donations via wire transfer. Please refer to the data below to make a donation!

·         Bank Name: Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Meguro Branch

·         Account Number: 1161451

·         Account Name: Association for Aid and Relief, JAPAN

·         Address: 5F, Mizuho Building, 2-12-2 Kamiosaki, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, 141-0021 Japan

·         Swift Code: BOTKJPJT

·         Bank Address: Meguro Building B2, 3-1-1 Kamiosaki, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, Japan