Japan: AAR Japan Holds a Nature Experience Workshops for Children

For the Children of Fukushima, Who Cannot Play Outside Freely

Because of the impact of the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, children of Fukushima Prefecture seldom have the opportunity to play outside. Furthermore, outdoor play areas for children are limited around the temporary housing complexes. Not being able to play outside not only leads to psychological stress for the children, but constant lack of exercise, which causes obesity and the weakening of the immune system, is also a concerning matter.

The city of Sukagawa located in central Fukushima, is no exception. According to a research conducted by the city, approximately 1,000 houses and 3,400 houses were completely destroyed and partially destroyed respectively, and more than 14,500 houses had been affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake (as of January 4^th, 2012). Even now, more than 1,800 people are living in the city’s temporary or subsidized housing complexes as disaster evacuees.

In response, AAR Japan held the “Nishi-Aizu Waku-Waku Kids’ School” (waku-waku describes a state of excitement in Japanese) to help reduce the stress that the children experience from living in temporary housing and to combat the problem of lack of exercise. We also hoped that this event would be a good opportunity for the children to create unforgettable summer memories during such tough times. For two days from July 22^nd to July 23^rd, the event was held in the town of Nishi-Aizu in Fukushima Prefecture’s Yama County. Twenty families from Sukagawa City were invited to Lotus Inn and the International Art Village to take part in nature experience workshops. With a population of about 7,000, Nishi-Aizu Town is a remarkably nature-rich area with a beautiful landscape that is located in western Fukushima. The amount of aerial radiation is relatively low at about 0.8 micro-sievert per hour, which is about the same level as that of the Kanto region.

Japan: Charity Concert – Friends Of Kodo And Wadaiko

In cooperation with Rolex of Japan, AAR Japan held a charity concert entitled ‘Friends of Kodo And Wadaiko: Sounds Of The Festival’ on June 19^th, 2012. Wadaiko refers to traditional Japanese drumming, while Kodo is the name of a renowned wadaiko troupe from Sado Island in Niigata Prefecture. The concert was held for the benefit of those affected by March 11, 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake in Japan’s Tohoku region.
 
Although the event coincided with the landfall of a typhoon over Tokyo, many still braved the inclement weather to come to Suntory Hall in Tokyo’s Minato Ward. Mr. Tamasaburo BANDO, artistic director of Kodo, delivered a message at the opening of the concert, telling the audience, “I hope Kodo can give you strength, and somehow inspire you for tomorrow.”

The JAA High School drumming club goes through pre-curtain nerves.

Japan: New Dental Clinic Opened in Ogatsu Town, Ishinomaki City

Medical Facilities in Ogatsu Town were Destroyed by the March 2011 Tsunami

90% of all the houses in Ogatsu Town, part of Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture, were damaged by the March 2011 tsunami. In addition, all necessary facilities for daily life, such as fire departments, post offices, schools, gas stations, and shops were lost in the disaster. Medical facilities such as general hospitals and dental clinics were completely destroyed.

 
When a mobile dental clinic conducted by a university hospital concluded operations last September, local residents had to take bus that runs only a few times a day to dental clinics in the center of Ishinomaki City, an hour away. The situation imposed a heavy burden on the elderly, who often have artificial teeth and need more dental care.

May 8^th, 2012 – Ishinomaki City Ogatsu Hospital used to have surgical, internal medicine and dental departments before the earthquake. The city has decided to close the hospital, but the building remains.

Zambia: Supporting Youth-Initiated AIDS Awareness Programs

HIV/AIDS is a serious issue in the Republic of Zambia, where 13.5% of the adult population is HIV positive, and as many as 45,000 people die from AIDS every year. To prevent the spread of HIV, education is vital. AAR Japan has been supporting young people who participate in HIV/AIDS awareness programs as part of our ongoing effort to counter HIV/AIDS in Zambia.

Supporting Students: Anti-AIDS Clubs

In accordance with a government initiative, anti-AIDS clubs are being established at every school in Zambia. Students in these clubs are learning about HIV/AIDS on their own initiative, and carry out awareness efforts to spread information in their area. However, the students do not always have the most accurate information themselves, and uncertainty regarding how best to conduct such efforts renders many clubs unable to fully achieve their objectives.

In 2009, AAR Japan started a support program in the area of Chipapa, which lies on the outskirts of the capital, Lusaka. When we first arrived, the local club was struggling. AAR Japan educated the students about HIV/AIDS and encouraged them to discuss how best to convey their knowledge to others. We  provided basic guidance on conducting effective awareness programs, such as  introducing a ‘planning, implementation, evaluation’ style of thinking, effective presentation skills, and management know-how.

As a result, the club’s students have deepened their own awareness of the problems being faced, and have turned this knowledge into ambition for their efforts, expanding their program to visiting residential houses to speak on the subject, and holding debate meetings. With the club’s activities going well, AAR Japan is taking this chance to propose new initiatives, such as nurturing leaders in the lower primary school grades and strengthening links with local residents’ groups in order to ensure that the students are able to carry on the work under their own power.

December 1^st, 2011 – On AIDS day, an anti-AIDS club comes together to hold an AIDS awareness event in Chipapa.

Japan: Supporting Disaster Survivors in Temporary Housing Complexes Create Vegetable Gardens

Growing Vegetables as an Opportunity for Community Interaction

Before the disaster, many of those living in temporary housing complexes along the shoreline of Miyagi Prefecture used to grow vegetables on their farms or in their home gardens. However, their lands and gardens were washed away in the tsunami, making it difficult for them to secure land and restart their farmwork. They used to be physically active through their daily farmwork, but many of them are now suffering from lack of exercise since the disaster. With the added stress of having to cope with their prolonged lives in the temporary housing complexes, some are starting to show signs of hikikomori (social withdrawal).

In such situation, activities that involve plowing vacant plots of land and growing vegetables are becoming popular in disaster-affected areas among the survivors in the effort to regain their original lives and to solve the problem of lack of exercise. AAR Japan is currently supporting survivors by preparing pieces of land that can be used as vegetable gardens as well as providing farming tools. By working cooperatively on their new gardens, people have naturally begun to converse with each other more and show smiles.

Onagawa Town, Miyagi Prefecture: “We are Happy to be able to Eat What We Made on Our Own”

May 24^th, 2012 – Around 3pm, the residents gather around a table by the garden and take a rest as “ochakko”. “Ochakko” is a tradition in the Tohoku region in which people chat and drink tea together. Following the earthquake, there has not been a place where people could casually gather and chat like so. (“Fureai Noen”, Onagawa Town, Miyagi Prefecture)

Laos: Start of a New Project! We will Support Income Expansion of Persons with Disabilities through Mushroom Cultivation

Aiming to Improve the Living Environment of Persons with Disabilities  
AAR Japan started a new project in the capital city of Vientiane in March 2012. In this new project, we have been cooperating with Lao Disabled People’s Association (LDPA) with the mission of improving the living environment of persons with disabilities (PWDs) by increasing their accessibility, and supporting their small-scale businesses for income expansion.

June 28^th, 2012 – Staff members of the AAR Japan Vientiane office that spearheads the new project in Laos (On the left is Noriyasu OKAYAMA and third from the left is Yumeka OTA)

Tajikistan: Production of Wheelchairs at Wheelchair Workshop “Dilshod” is Completed! Distribution has Started.

Manufacturing Wheelchairs that Suit Each User’s Disability and Living Environment

In order to promote social participation among persons with disabilities (PWDs) in Tajikistan by increasing their access to wheelchairs, AAR Japan has been supporting the one and only wheelchair workshop in the country, “Dilshod”, since October 2011.

 
AAR Japan sent Mr. Hiroyuki MINAMI, a wheelchair expert who is capable of single-handedly managing everything from design to production of wheelchairs, on 3 different occasions to Tajikistan. With his cooperation, we have taught staff members at Dilshod how to properly conduct preliminary research on those who wish to have wheelchairs, and also provided hands-on-training on practical wheelchair production techniques. Up until now, Dilshod had not taken into consideration the physical conditions of the users nor their living environment when producing wheelchairs. However, now under Mr. MINAMI’s guidance, Dilshod has begun to incorporate innovative ideas such as designing wheelchairs that are resistant to vibration so that users could move smoothly on unpaved roads, or flattening the edges of the wheelchairs where there is direct body contact and adding cushions, so that the users do not feel fatigue or pain even after being seated for long hours.

June 13^th, 2012 – Staff members of Dilshod intently watch wheelchair expert Mr. Hiroyuki MINAMI’s work (left row center) (pictured in the far back in the right row is Noriko ANDO of AAR Japan Tokyo Headquarters office.)