Japan: Cooperating to Find a Solution to the Crucial Problem of Condensation in Temporary Housing

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 housing 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

December 5, 2012 - A resident, Mr. Toshio HATAKEYAMA: "I'm pretty good at this. I should become a condensation expert!"

Kenya: Successfully Installing a Clean Water Supply System

AAR Japan has engaged in a project to deliver reliable clean water supplies to people in the area of Mutomo in Kitsui District, eastern Kenya, where water shortage is a chronic problem. In Mutomo, many locals rely on river water or rainwater as they do not have a sufficient number of wells. Water fetching is hard labor that uses up time and energy, requiring some people to spend as much as three hours just to reach a water source. During the dry seasons when rivers dry up, locals dig into the riverbeds to collect water for domestic use, but such fragile water sources becomes even scarcer during subsequent droughts. Generally, women and children bear the burden of fetching water, which often prevents them from attending school or doing farm work.

“Our two hours of water-fetching time will be shortened to five minutes,” says Perez wa kasek, 57, with her two grandchildren in front of a completed water shop and water tower. Pictured on the right is Daigo TAKAGI from AAR Japan’s Kenya Office.

Japan: Activities to Support Comfortable Home Care

AAR is Sending Power Generators and Foot-operated Sputum Aspirators to Children with Disabilities.

Power outage is a life-threatening issue for persons with disabilities who use ventilators or sputum aspirators in their daily lives. After the massive blackout resulting from the Great East Japan Earthquake, many people rushed to hospitals for power generators or used car batteries in order to obtain electricity for their life-sustaining apparatuses.

To prevent these situations, AAR Japan is distributing foot-operated sputum aspirators which need no electricity to operate and household power generators to families with children with disabilities.

September 12, 2012 – “We don’t need to worry about battery charge anymore,” Mr. Noboru TOZUKA and his mother, who received the sputum aspirator, said.