After
disasters, AAR Japan has mainly prioritized reaching out to the most vulnerable
groups who are usually left out without support, such as people with special
needs.
After the
Western Japan was hit by the recent torrential rain and flooding, AAR Japan helped
out with the restoration by providing welfare facilities with daily necessities
and other items necessary for their reopening, such as computers and printers.
We are
currently working on a restoration project to apply in the affected areas.
Making
a progress towards recovery step by step:
“Okayama Mind Kokoro”
is an NPO located in Mabi in Kurashiki
City, Okayama.
This NPO was aiming to support people with special needs by running care
homes, where they can live in comfort, as well as a brewery or a beer hall,
where even the disabled can work.
“Okayama Mind Kokoro” believes that they can make Mabi village a
comfortable place for everyone by offering space for interacting with each
other, regardless of disabilities.
However, when their project was well on its way, the recent floods
destroyed the beer hall completely. The ground floors of eight care homes were also
completely washed away with all the furniture inside.
Some of the
residents in the care homes have found it difficult to adapt to the radical
change in the different environment and many of them had to move to shelters
where they face many difficulties. As
such, it is very important to get their original care homes re-opened as soon
as possible. “Okayama Mind Kokoro” staff cleaned the place as quickly as
possible in order for the residents to return. The home was temporarily
re-opened on August first and residents who used to stay at a hospital were
able to come back. There is a good chance that some companies will donate
refrigerators and laundry machines.
However, the brewery and beer halls that the residents found joy in
working at are still out of service and the re-opening day is yet to be confirmed.
Considering the time necessary for making barley into malt for local beer, we
will have to wait for another year if we can’t start it by this autumn.
AAR is considering providing and fixing the necessary equipment for this NPO to help them re-open and proceed with their services.
Mr.Shinji Tada,
the representative of Okayama Mind Kokoro expressed his gratitude to the AAR emergency assistance team for delivering supplies and
attending to the needs of the residents.
He also expressed his firm determination by saying, “In spite of the
harsh reality, we are steadily heading for restoring our facilities. With your encouraging words, we promise that
we will move forward.”
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| AAR staff Takumi Takagi (on the left) visiting the president of Okayama Mind Kokoro and listening to their needs while delivering oral rehydration solution, rolls of toilet paper and baby diapers to him. (Date:2018/7/24) |
“If
it happened to me”
Nima Elementary
School, located in Kurashiki in
Okayama
Prefecture,
was turned into a shelter. AAR cooperated with
NPO Peace Project from July 23rd to 25th to prepare meals for the shelter’s
residents for another 3 days (July 28-30).
Before
preparing the meals, we spread flyers about this news to the residents and received
a lot of positive feedback such as “We have been looking forward to it!”
Despite
the weather forecast predicting that the approaching typhoon No.12 might cause
some damage, everything went as we had planned. We gave 300 servings of seafood
curry on the 28th and 250 servings of rice with grated yam with fish soup, natto,
turnips and pickled cucumbers.
A
lady in her 80s complained “I am totally worn out just by having to stay in
this gymnasium.” Another man in his 60s said to us, “While being engaged in
voluntary activities, I sometimes wonder ‘What if such a disaster were to hit
me?”
Mr.Kanzaki,
the President of the Nima community, spoke about the necessity of support and advice
of administration offices and support agencies so that the residents in Mabi
can all come back and enjoy their lives the way they used to.
The
residents of the shelters have been frustrated because they have been living
there for weeks now and still do not know when will they go back home.
Ms.Mari
Tanigawa (board of directors member), who used to be a marathon runner, offered
a course on marathon for the shelter’s residents. Peace Project also organized
a bingo competition in the shelter.
The
residents were smiling, after enjoying light sports and recreation events.
 |
| Ms. Mari Tanigawa, AAR Japan board of directors’ member, who visited the shelter on July 28 and 29, is preparing meals with a local volunteer and setting the tables. The meals were received favourably and residents lined up every time the meals were prepared. (Date:2018/7/28) |
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| Ms. Tanigawa is warming up the bingo competition (in the middle). On the left is Mr. Ben Kato the representative of Peace Project and also a member of AAR board of directors. (Date:2018/7/29) |
Please donate
Click here for online donation through Paypal (credit card payment available)Donating at the Japan Post Office
Account Number: 00100-9-600
Account Name: Nanmin wo Tasukerukai (難民を助ける会)
Please write down “Western Japan” and specify if you need a receipt.
