Hygiene products distributed to victims of the Turkey earthquake

A 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck the Aegean Sea off the coast of Turkey on October 30 killed 115 people mostly in the city of Izmir.   

   

The Turkish government and aid agencies continue to support the displaced people as well as the demolition of collapsed buildings. AAR Japan, in cooperation with the local NGO "Support to life" (STL), has been providing emergency relief by distributing hygiene kits.   

   

  

The staff of STL preparing to distribute hygiene items in Izmir in western Turkey, November 9, 2020.  

  

Emergency assistance: Aegean earthquake

The magnitude 7.0 earthquake that struck the Aegean Sea on October 30 (Japan time) killed 76 people and injured 962 in Turkey, and as of today, thousands have been evacuated. 

We would like to express our deepest sympathies to all the victims of the earthquake and tsunami. 

Immediately after, we started collecting information and decided to support it through a local partner organization. We plan to distribute hygiene products such as masks and soaps to prevent the spread of COVID-19. 

We are currently accepting emergency donations. We ask for your kind cooperation. 

*No AAR staff was injured by this earthquake.

Tajikistan: School supplies for children affected by flood

Children looking forward to being back in school holding stationery set distributed by AAR (September 16, 2020.)

The town of Sadriddin in Khuroson District, located about an hour and a half east of Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, was severely damaged by floods and landslides in mid-May. Aminova Zarina from the Tajikistan office reports on AAR Japan's relief efforts. 

 

Uganga : Education for Congolese refugee children

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (referred to as Congo below) in central Africa has been unstable since the 1990s, but tensions have further escalated in the wake of the presidential elections at the end of 2018 and armed clashes in the eastern region in 2019 have resulted in the deaths of scores of civilians. The number of refugees fleeing to neighboring Uganda has also skyrocketed, with approximately 410,000 Congolese refugees currently residing in Uganda. More than 30% of the children living in refugee settlements are currently not able to attend school.  

In April this year, AAR Japan began supporting the education of Congolese refugee children and children living in areas hosting refugees. Masayasu Higuchi from the AAR Ugandan Hoima office reports. 

Congolese refugee children studying eagerly in crowded classroom in the Kyangwali refugee settlement, Uganda. 

 

Torrential rain in Kyushu: Providing supplies to welfare facilities for PWD

The torrential rains in Kyushu in early July caused extensive damage in Kumamoto Prefecture and various areas in Japan, and restoration work is still ongoing in the affected areas. We pray for the souls of the deceased and express our heartfelt sympathy for those who were affected by the disaster. 

Sayako Nogiwa and Kazuya Omuro from AAR Japan checking the damage 

during a visit to the social welfare facility (July 11,2020)

Uganda: Refugees prevent the spread of COVID-19 with homemade masks

 In the eastern African country of Uganda, where the spread of COVID-19 continues, AAR Japan held a mask-making workshop to prevent the spread of COVID-19 at a South Sudanese refugee camp, located in the north of the country.

Refugee settlement leaders wearing their handmade masks. The right is AAR staff (August 2020, Palolinha settlement)

Japan Hongkongers Association donated ￥6.3 million to support the disaster area in Kyushu

 

The torrential rains in Kyushu in early July 2020 left 76 deaths and 3 missing, mainly in Kumamoto Prefecture. A month later, approximately 1,400 people are still staying in the evacuation centers. AAR Japan would like to express our sincere condolences to the victims and heartfelt sympathy to all those who have suffered.

"Hang in there, Japan! " warm messages from Hong Kong.

While the recovery work is still going on in the affected areas, Japan Hongkongers Association (JHA), established by Hong Kong People residing in Japan, donated approximately 6.3 million yen to Japanese international NGO, AAR Japan for use in supporting the areas affected by the torrential rains in Kyushu. After learning of the massive disaster in Kyushu, JHA called for donations through a crowd-funding and other means with the campaign “Hand in Hand with Japan, Rebuild Kyushu” for a month until August 5, and received a large donation from 1,474 individuals with messages such as "Hang in there, Japan! " "For the people of Kyushu". Around ninety percent of the donations came from Hong Kong. The members were introduced to AAR by a Japanese friend, as the most reliable NGO.

 

Ms. Tanaka(centre) and Ms. Chan(left) receive a certificate of appreciation from Mr. Horie (11 August 2020)