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.)

South Sudan: Toilets and Hygiene Education Classes at Elementary Schools

Association for Aid and Relief, Japan (AAR Japan) has been carrying out water and hygiene projects in South Sudan’s Eastern Equatoria State since 2006. The following is a report on the construction of a new toilet facility and hygiene education classes held between March 2011 and April 2012.

Hygiene Education Classes Held in 6 Elementary Schools

 
Water-borne diseases such as diarrhea, typhoid fever and cholera have been the major cause of death among children in South Sudan’s Eastern Equatoria State. According to research done by AAR Japan in 2010, only 6.4% of the population and 2% of children used toilets. Most use roadsides and bushes, which leads to the contamination of water sources and the spread of infectious diseases. In response, AAR Japan initiated hygiene education classes in 6 elementary schools for roughly one year beginning in March 2011.

June 28^th, 2012 – A sanitary hygiene class held for school teachers in Kapoeta North County. “Which picture is most sanitary?”

Uganda: Supporting the Incomes Landmine Victims

Support for Landmine Victims in a Harsh Environment

A 20-year civil war has left the northwestern region of Uganda scattered with landmines and UXOs (Unexploded Ordnance). Most of these landmines and UXOs still remain in the ground, with injuries mounting every year. Victims often lose their jobs due to their disabilities, or sell their homes and businesses in order to raise money for treatment. According to research by the Ugandan Government in 2009, only 8% of these victims have a means of making an income.

In cooperation with ULSA (Uganda Landmine Survivors Association), AAR Japan has been supporting Ugandan victims of landmines and UXOs since 2009. At present, we are providing start-up assistance to 30 beneficiaries in Uganda’s northern Lira District, helping them start small-scale, self-owned business such as retail shops, salons, and second-hand clothing shops in order to attain financial stability.

Hope for a Better Future

May 14^th, 2012 - AAR Japan provided commodities such as sweets, sugar and detergent to help Ms. ACIO (right) open a retail shop.

Japan: Delivering Flowers and Music to Persons with Disabilities and Their Families

The Colors and Aromas of a Rainbow of Flowers, to Welcome Mother’s Day

As part of the ongoing recovery activities in the earthquake-hit Tohoku region, Association for Aid and Relief, Japan (AAR Japan) is carrying out a campaign called ‘Delivering Flowers and Magokoro (literally meaning “true heart”) to the Disaster-Affected Areas’. Supporters from all over Japan have welcomed the idea to deliver flowers to the desolate disaster areas from which the tsunami has taken everything. On May 13^th, 2012, we visited the social welfare facility ‘Oguni no Sato’ in Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture.  ‘Oguni no Sato’ is a temporary housing complex for persons with disabilities (PWDs) and their families who have been hit by the disaster. We delivered flower seedlings along with messages of support from all over Japan to the 50 families living there.

May 13^th, 2012 - The flowers delivered to the disaster area were purchased at ‘Flower Shop Hanayu’. After the original building was destroyed by the tsunami, this florist shop is now part of a temporary shopping village in Onagawa Town. The store’s owners are husband and wife Mr. Yukio SUZUKI and Mrs. Michiko SUZUKI, shown here with local children. Right: AAR Japan staff Miyo ITO (Onagawa Town, Oshika County, Miyagi Prefecture)

Haiti: Training for Special Needs Teachers

Providing Quality Education to Children with Disabilities

AAR Japan has been implementing recovery operations in Haiti, which was rocked by a massive earthquake in January of 2010. In the capital of Port-au-Prince and its surrounding areas, numerous facilities for persons with disabilities and schools for children with disabilities had to suspend operations after suffering extensive damage. More than two years have passed since the quake, and still a large number of institutions have been unable to resume operations.

 
AAR Japan has been assisting in the reconstruction of more than 10 institutions, including facilities for persons with disabilities, schools for children with disabilities, and orphanages. Since January 2012, AAR Japan has been working to rebuild École Jerry Mousse, a school for children with psychological and intellectual disabilities, providing tables, chairs, a generator and other necessary equipment. The surviving facilities have also been used to conduct skills training for teachers, aiming to enhance their ability to create a supportive and enlightening educational experience that will bring out the most in their students.

March 10^th, 2012 – “Let’s draw a circle. What color can we get by mixing red and blue?” In a practical skills session, participants experiment with methods of teaching art and conveying color concepts.