Sudan: The Japanese Ambassador visits the Mine Risk Education Project Site

MRE sessions conducted using the original education materials　(November 22nd, 2013, Kassala) 

In Sudan, countless landmines were buried during the Second Sudanese Civil War (1983-2005). There are more than 1,900 victims of landmines and unexploded ordinances (UXOs) in the country, and even after the end of war in 2005, 651 cases of new victims by landmines and UXOs have been reported (as of Mach 2014, Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA)). In addition, the conflict has reignited in southern regions of Blue Nile state and South Kordofan state in 2011, raising the risk ever higher of an increase in causalities from UXOs. Association for Aid and Relief, Japan (AAR Japan) develops its original education materials such as posters, flip chart story, and songs and goes around villages to conduct educational sessions about landmines for local residents. Since its start in 2006, approximately 100,000 people have attended the MRE sessions.

In 24th March, Ambassador of Japan to the Republic of Sudan, Ryoichi HORIE, visited our project site in Kassala state, Eastern Sudan where AAR conducts the mine risk education (MRE) project. For this occasion, AAR Japan, together with local residents, organized an event to introduce the MRE program to the Ambassador. Takashi UJIKAWA of Sudan Office reports.

Cambodia: Providing Pleasure of Going to School for Children with Disabilities

With Try-and-Error Efforts of Teachers

In Cambodia many children with disabilities cannot receive education even after they reach schooling age for various reasons. In Kandal Province, southern Cambodia, AAR Japan has been providing support to enable an increased number of children with disabilities to have access to education since April 2013.  An AAR staff member Tomoko SONODA reports.

To begin with, AAR built and renovated toilets in three primary schools to make them accessible by wheelchairs. It also carried out construction works to improve physical conditions of the schools, such as installing wheelchair ramps and paving walkways within the school grounds.
 

Pupils of Cheom Saren Primary School with Tomoko SONODA (right) in front of newly paved pathway in the school. (October 14th, 2013)

Emergency Support for South Sudan: Safe Drinking Water Urgently Needed

As many as 26,000 people (as of March 14th) have fled from continuous fighting in South Sudan to Kakuma Refugee Camp in neighboring Kenya. This is a report on the relief activities and the refugees’ lives by Daijo TSUCHIKAWA, an AAR staff member of South Sudan Office, who is responsible for humanitarian aid in the Camp.

Daijo TSUCHIKAWA (to the left), an AAR staff, interviewing the refugees.  (March 12th, 2014)

The Philippines: Helping People Rebuild Their Homes

The devastating typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines on November 8th, 2013, affecting more than 16 million victims.  Furthermore, over 1.14 million houses were destroyed or damaged. AAR Japan has been conducting research and providing relief supplies to support these victims, with a focus on providing aid to people with disabilities, who may otherwise be unable to access vital aid. Juri HIROYA (AAR Tokyo office) reports from the severely damaged Tacloban, Leyte Island.

Waste and Debris Scattered Throughout the Town

Tents in the coastal area. Most houses were swept away by the typhoon. (February 7th, 2014.)

In early February I arrived at the airport in Tacloban. The destruction caused by the typhoon is immediately visible. The roof of the terminal still requires repair and the luggage conveyers remain broken, forcing airport staff to screen luggage manually. Despite this difficult circumstance, the airport was quick to reopen to enable vital relief supplies to arrive in the wake of the disaster.
Little improvement has been achieved since my last visit in December, with trees and debris scattered throughout Tacloban. Despite the Philippine Government's attempt to install temporary housing, many people are forced to live in tents or houses which have been patched up with scrap material and plastic sheets.

The Great East Japan Earthquake: The Power of Design – Creating product value from welfare facilities in Northeastern Japan

Since the Great East Japan Earthquake, AAR has provided renovation assistance to some 80 welfare facilities which were damaged from the tsunami and earthquake so that persons with disabilities and the elderly would not be left behind in the wave of reconstruction. Although the wages for people working at such facilities were already as low as some 12,000JPY per month before the Earthquake, it has got even lower after the Earthquake, due to the sharp decrease in demand from companies selling their products. In order to address this situation, AAR, in cooperation with the global consulting firm Accenture, has engaged in activities since October 2012 which aim to provide fresh jobs to persons with disabilities working at these welfare facilities and also make their wages higher than the pre-Earthquake level. Ayana KISHIDA from Sendai Office reports.

19,286 people visited Interior Lifestyle Tokyo. Many came to the equalto product booth. (November 7, 2013)

The Great East Japan Earthquake: Providing necessary support, concern for each person’s situation

Three years have passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake. As time passes, the amount of news attention regarding the earthquake is decreasing and it seems that more and more people have come to think of the earthquake as part of the past. However, 274,088 people (as of December, 2013) are still relocating to other places.

Staffs and users of “Katatsumuri”, a welfare facility that we provided a vehicle operating pick-up and drop-off services for people using the facility. (December 26, 2013. Ofunato, Iwate)

Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima, the prefectures where AAR Japan are conducting its activities, are facing various problems such as an aging population, depopulation due to relocation, and the ongoing  situation at nuclear power plants. Those factors are closely intertwined, and can cause longer and uneven setbacks in different areas. Some people have already rebuilt their houses by themselves, while some say that they don’t even know when they will be able to move into newly reconstructed houses and possible have to live in a temporary housing complex for rest of their lives. Even within the same temporary housing complexes, people are facing different problems. It’s necessary to respond to the individual issues.

As time passes, people’s needs have changed. At first, essential daily items such as food or a travelling clinic were in demand, followed by the need for electric appliances as construction on temporary housing complexes began. Then, our support shifted to reconstructing welfare facilities and shopping streets. And now, we are requested to be there to support every single person, and provide a timely and appropriate support that meets each person’s pace of recovery. For the elderly living alone in the temporary housing, we arrange places and opportunities at which they can seek counseling and support. For children living in high-radiation areas, we provide opportunities to play outside to their hearts’ content, without a fear of radiation. For a welfare facility hoping to find a new market, we suggest ideas to develop the market and provide equipment needed for production. We are providing various kinds of support and consultation for each person’s situation and actively make every effort to respond to their needs.

We visit meeting places in temporary housing complexes to provide massages service and active listening.
Left: Kazuya OMURO of AAR, Physiotherapist
(December 8, 2013 Ishinomaki, Miyagi)

Thank you to the continuous donation and assistance from both at home and abroad, victims of the earthquake have been able to start their new lives. One of the staff members of the welfare facility which we provided a vehicle and office equipment mentioned the positive attitude of a person with disability by telling the following story; He seldom went out before, but recently he began to come to our facility. His family told me that they heard him happily saying, “I’ve just come back from work (welfare facility)!”.

On the other hand, Ekuko YOKOYAMA of AAR Soma office, who has been conducting counseling and other related activities at the temporary housing complex, says, “Deeply affected by shock and sorrow, time has essentially stood still for many people since they lost their loved ones in the earthquake, and they have not been able to take the next step forward.” Three years is not enough time to heal the deep emotional wounds, so we still need to help them cope with their sorrow and anxiety.

To deliver your kindness and to reduce the number of people left behind from the recovery, we, the staff of AAR Tohoku office, visit disaster-stricken areas lying under the snowy sky today.
We deeply appreciate your thoughtful and continuous support.



Reported by: Akiko KATO, Representative of Tohoku Office
Ms. Kato had worked at Tokyo office since April 2010 and engaged in projects mainly related to Haiti and Zambia. Since March 2011, she has engaged in supporting project of the Great East Japan Earthquake. Since April 2013, she has been supervising this project as a representative of Tohoku Office. After graduating university, she worked for a private sector. And then studied social development at graduate school in the U.K. She joined AAR after working at a governmental research institution and a diplomatic mission. Originally from Tokyo.  (profile as of the date of the article)

South Sudan Emergency Aid: The Urgent Need for Water at Kakuma Refugee Camp

Since December 2013, the war in South Sudan has raged on and the turmoil continues. Many continue to flee into the into neighboring Kenya, where the Kakuma refugee camp is located. From February 3rd to the 8th, Naoki UMEDA and Daijo TSUCHIKAWA were AAR Japan's staff on the ground, sent to give emergency assistance and conduct research. Despite the swelling number of refugees, the camp suffers from severe water shortages. This is UMEDA reporting.

People Going Without Water in Severe Heat

AAR Japan's Naoki UMEDA (right) listening to details from a local aid group (Kakuma refugee camp, Kenya. February 4th, 2014.)

From February 2nd, ongoing talks with both refugees and aid workers have made it clear that the need for water is the most urgent issue at hand.
Since December 15th last year, the number of South Sudanese who have arrived in Kakuma has already reached 14,000 <UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees), 2014/2/5> . Many have endured a long journey, only to arrive and find they will likely receive below 10 liters of water on average per day, per person. In contrast, a single Japanese person uses around 300 liters per day (according to figures from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism), making the daily available amount in Kakuma only 1/30 to that of Japan. It is this small amount that must be used for everything from drinking water, to cooking and washing.