Collating listing of NPO/NGOs focused on longterm Tohoku Recovery.

Sarajean Rossitto of JapanVolunteers is currently compiling an updated listing of organizations focused on the longterm relief and recovery of the Tohoku region. 

 

She is compiling the list on her JapanVolunteers NGO advisory blog, under the heading "Your help needed - Tohoku relief and recovery org listing."I have taken the liberty of reposting the tentative listing here as well. 

 

If you see any missing links, or any other groups that you feel should be included. Please feel free to comment directly on her blog, or to post your comments here and I will share them with her. 

 

Please send the names of the organizations in English and Japanese if possible, and include any relevant links to their webpage, or a bio of their activities if available.

 

The tentative list is as follows:

• ADRA Japan NPO法人　アドラ・ジャパン（ADRA Japan）
• http://www.adrajpn.org
•  
• NPO Aichi-net 愛知ネット
• 
  
• Association for Aid and Relief, Japan難民を助ける会
• URL: http://www.aarjapan.gr.jp/
• 
  
• AMDA - formerly Association of Medical Doctors of Asia
• 特定非営利活動法人　AMDA (元アジア医師連絡協議会)
• URL: http://www.amdainternational.com/
• 
  
• Care International Japan 公益財団法人　ケア・インターナショナル　ジャパン
• http://www.careintjp.org
• 
  
• CRASH volunteers
•  http://www.crashjapan.com/
• 
  
• FOREIGN VOLUNTEERS JAPAN
• 
  
• Good Neighbors Japan グッドネーバーズジャパン
• URL:  http://www.gnjp.org/campaign/emgcy_2011tohoku.html
• 
  
• Hope International Development Agency
• 
  
• Hope World Wide
• 
  
• The Japan Asian Association and Asian Friendship Societyアジア協会アジア友の会
• http://www.jafs.or.jp
• 
  
• Japan EQ Animal Rescue and Support JEARS
• 
  
• JEN ジェン
• URL: http://www.jen-npo.org/
• 
  
• MDMJ Medecins du Monde Japan / Doctors of the World
• 特定非営利活動法人メドゥサン・デュ・モンド　ジャポン
• URL: http://www.mdm.or.jp/
• 
  
• MSF Japan: Medecins sans Frontieres / Doctors Without Borders Japan
• 特定非営利活動法人国境なき医師団日本　
• URL: http://www.msf.or.jp/
• 
  
• Nippon International Cooperation Community Development NICCO 社）日本国際民間協力会 (NICCO)
• http://www.kyoto-nicco.org/
• Online donation in Japanese http://kyoto-nicco.org/give/
• 
  
• Nippon Volunteer Network Active in Disaster, Inc.
• (特)日本災害救援ボランティアネットワーク（ＮＶＮＡＤ）
  URL http://www.nvnad.or.jp/
• 
  
• O.G.A. for AID
• 
  
• PARCIC
• 
  
• Peace Winds Japanピース ウィンズ・ジャパン
• URL: http://www.peace-winds.org/
• 
  
• Peace Boat ピースボート
• http://www.peaceboat.org/relief
• 
  
• Rescue stockyard レスキューストックヤード
• http://www.rsy-nagoya.com/rsy/
• 
  
• Rescue Japan
• http://www.rescuejapan.asia/
• 
  
• Save the Children Japanセーブ・ザ・チルドレン子ども基金
• URL: http://www.savechildren.or.jp/
• 
  
• Shanti Volunteer Association 公益社団法人シャンティ国際ボランティア会
• http://sva.or.jp/global/
• 
  
• Uniken, Japan Universal Design Research Institute:(Japanese only)
• http://www.npo-uniken.org/shinsai_busshi.html
• 
  
• World Vision Japan ワールド・ビジョン・ジャパン
• http://www.worldvision.jp/
• 
  
• NETWORK organizations
• They have links with information on the hundreds of other groups involved:
• 
  
• Japan Civil Net – Network of the groups working on the Japan EQ/tsunami relief efforts
• http://www.jpn-civil.net/about_us/groups.html
• 
  
• Japan NPO Center – a nation wide network of Japan-based local nonprofits and volunteer groups
• http://www.jnpoc.ne.jp/
• 
  
• JANIC –Japan Association of NGOs in International Cooperation – a network of Japanese NGOs that are involved in international development work
• http://www.janic.org/
•  
• Japan Platform – Network of Japanese NGOs engaged in emergency and relief work
• http://www.japanplatform.org/E/work/index.html

Romeo for Tohoku (Aroma Rich Juliet contest – I need your vote!)

Posted on behalf of hard-working Tohoku Volunteer Dean Newcombe, in support of his work with Intrepid Model Adventures and their long-term volunteer project in Ishinomaki: 

http://aroma-rich-romeo.jp/profile/dean.html

Romeo and Juliet. We all know the story, but perhaps most of us don’t get the chance to be labeled as ‘Romeo’! That’s exactly where I have found myself though.

Living in Japan has granted me many opportunities, and many of them very surreal. I certainly didn’t expect to be standing as 1 of 8 gentlemen hoping to become the image of Romeo here in the land of the rising sun, and further more, I didn’t realise how passionate I would become at taking the 1^st prize!

Agencies searched Tokyo for talents that stood out, who did something a little bit special. Guys who present sport on TV, guys who perform magic and dance, but I had other ideas…to further establish the ‘Volunteer / Model’!

What I do – A Day in the Life if The Intrepid Model…

So here I stand, the ‘Sweet Passionate Model’ (not self labeled I should state! ). I won’t be calling up to any balconies, or delivering romantic lines, but I will be doing something which I believe is much more important! I will be taking Romeo’s spotlight to Tohoku, and I will be showing what a modern Romeo would really stand for! I will donate all the money I get from winning this contest to those in Tohoku!

If you believe in this cause…

1. Visit – http://aroma-rich-romeo.jp/profile/dean.html – From anywhere in the world you can register a vote. You don’t need to speak Japanese. Just hit the gold button and when the box with Twitter and Facebook links comes up, you have voted. Thank you!
2. Visit – https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=126479670783802 – This is the event on Facebook and has more information. Join the group and invite others explaining why they should care.
3. Keep voting. This is not a one off, you can vote daily! Each device you have and each browser (Firefox, Chrome, Explorer) can register a vote, and I need them all.
4. Spread the word in any other way you can, and let me know that your there supporting me so I can thank you personally!

Against all the odds, can the Volunteer Model pull this off? With your help…yes!

Fashionista's Romeo - By Nathan Berry of ECA Photography - Tokyo 2011

Modern Day Romeo By Anatole Papafilipou of Moonlight Studios, Hiroki Takeru of Studio 47 and Chanyn Kirtman of Chanyn Cheree Styling - Tokyo 2011

See more from ECA photography.
See more from Moonlight Photography
See more from Chanyn Cheree Styling

Reflections and Narratives of Relief Work for Japan

* by David H. Slater

The measure, experience and meaning of a “disaster” is in large part a function of the relief that is, or is not, provided to those in need.

Focus: This is an open call for short (less than 700 words) pieces on the topic of relief and volunteer activities around the events collectively known as 3.11. We understand “relief” to include a wide range of support: from asking for donations on the street corners of London to digging mud in Ishinomaki; from running up food supplies to Fukushima to housing displaced kids in Kyoto; from fighting the April snows to the August rains; from acting as a part-time counselor to victims to leading corporate social responsibility programs at multi-national companies. Japanese and foreigners, students and adults, professionals and amateurs, practitioners and volunteers of any sort are welcome here.

Send your entries NOW in attached MSWord files to: 311reliefnarratives@gmail.com

Goal: We want to document the relief effort as it is going on. At a time when 3.11 has been largely pushed out of the news cycle, even in Japan, even though huge amounts of work still need to be done, one of our goals is to let others know about the work being done, the work you have done, and maybe the work still needing to be done. This is direct and maybe intimate, but it is not voyeurism. It is also not promotion for a single group, but please feel free to tell us the groups you are working with.

There is a strategic element to this call: to spread the word, to encourage others to contribute, to keep it going.

The single biggest reason that people do not volunteer is that they do not really know what it involves. Let's tell them.

Format: These pieces must be short (less than 700 words) and to the point, vivid and direct, taking a single aspect of relief that can be captured and made meaningful in this format. No footnotes or bibliographies, but you could include links. The format is somewhere between an essay and a blog entry: it is shorter and more informal than an essay, but more focused on a particular topic or aspect than a blog entry.

Source: Your topic can be based on some sort of local practice, but your piece should be directed to a wider audience, beyond your academic discipline or professional context. First-person narratives are very welcome. This is a chance to digest and present some parts of your experience in ways that communicate to others.  It could be sad or funny, desperate or hopeful--all important parts of the relief experience.

Time-frame: If at all possible, review your older notes so we can include something from the earlier months: clearly, working in April was much different from working in August. Send both.

Your entry: We ask you to do your best to present a finished copy, but we will have the resources to proof-read your work when necessary. Japanese or English are both welcome. We encourage non-native English speakers to write something in English, and we can give it a “native check.”

Collective Product: In the end, we will collect, proof-read and present your entries digitally.  Pending some more funding, we will translate Japanese into English and English into Japanese. We are now arranging for newspapers, journals, universities, relief sites, and others to feature your work and offer links to your work. We will have a web-designer—not me—to make your good work accessible to others.

Clearly, we cannot tell the “whole story’ in 700 words: our intent is to provide enough different pieces to allow readers to understand some of the range and complexity behind disaster and relief.

Note: Multiple submissions from the same author are welcome. Selections from larger pieces are also fine (and might be a good way to draw attention to other related projects). You can use your blog entries if they are suitable or any other source that does not violate copyright.

Deadline: October 1st.  

Check Out Some Others' Sample Entries Here

posted Oct 19, 2009 10:41 PM by David H. Slater   [ updated Aug 10, 2011 2:52 AM ]

Here are some examples of  others' experiences. As you can see, they are of vary different styles and focus--which is just what we want.  Of course, since all of your expereinces are different, your entries will be different also.

Attachments (4)

• Approaching a house.rtf - on Aug 8, 2011 4:04 AM by David H. Slater (version 1)
  3k Download
• Fieldnotes from Iwanuma.rtf - on Aug 8, 2011 4:13 AM by David H. Slater (version 1)
  11k Download
• Unstable Ground.doc - on Aug 8, 2011 3:30 AM by David H. Slater (version 1)
  28k View Download
• What I saw in Tohoku.doc - on Aug 8, 2011 3:41 AM by David H. Slater (version 1)
  29k View Download 

More information can be found directly at the project page:
https://sites.google.com/site/japanreliefnarratives2/


David H. Slater is an associate professor of cultural anthropology at Sophia University, Tokyo, Japan. He has been active in the relief effort from the start. He has also been collecting narratives and reflections from volunteers, and now wants to put them together and bring them higher profile.

You can find out more about him here:
http://www.fla.sophia.ac.jp/academics/professors/slaterdavid
http://www.facebook.com/#!/david.h.slater

Please feel free to contact him with questions or suggestions for improvement directly at: dhslater@gmail.com

Smiles & Dreams: Tohoku Kids Project

Hi my name is Paul Yoo, Co-founder of volunteerAKITA and The Fruit Tree Project (www.volunteerakita.org).  Along with our on-going activities, we are also involved in the “Smiles & Dreams:Tohoku Kids Project” led by Living Dreams/SmileKidsJapan (www.livingdreams.jp and www.smilekidsjapan.org). Right now, we are working as Home Communication Managers (HCMs) to two orphanages in the Sendai area.  Our role is to act as contacts for the orphanages, and relay any needs they may have.

What we need right now:  A boy, in his 3rd year of high school (his final year), at one of the orphanages we are in contact with, has become the first orphan there to ever express interest in going to college.  He wants to attend Yamaguchi Hukushi Bunka Daigaku (University of Human Welfare and Culture) and study hoiku ka (child care).  It is a four year program and the university will cover tuition for the first 2 years of the program, along with 50% of the 3rd and 4th years.  Our goal is to raise￥1,154,000 which includes ￥970,000 in tuition costs for the 3rd and 4th years, along with an ￥184,000 mandatory insurance cost over 4 years.

We are currently accepting PLEDGES to donate to this fund because he still needs to pass his college entrance exam.  Once he does, we will move forward in collecting funds and transferring the money into an account that will be handled by the orphanage.

We welcome any grants, scholarships, or personal donations to get this young man to college, and most importantly doing it without leaving him in debt after he finishes school, since in most cases, once an orphan has finished high school, he is on his own.

It is truly inspiring that he plans to go to college and is the first from his orphanage to show interest in doing so.  Successfully sending him to college would be such an amazing gift, and would inspire other orphans to follow in his footsteps, knowing that they too can receive a college education, and strive to become whatever they want to be in the future.

If you have any questions regarding this proposal or can help us out, please contact me.

Much Love,

Paul Yoo

Paul Yoo
Co-Director 

volunteerAKITA / The Fruit Tree Projectvolunteerakita@gmail.com
www.volunteerakita.org

Aussie Beef

*Written by Jamie El-Banna

The day started quite differently to others, as I had the morning off. I had stuff to do in the afternoon, but was free in the morning. I opted to spend my free time catching up on emails, listening to some beats and enjoying the breeze from the sanctuary of the shade. And taking a dip in the river. I honestly can’t get enough of it. 

I knew that all my friends back in Osaka would be hitting the beach today. Even though it’s an incredibly dirty beach, it made me feel a bit lonely. But swimming in the river and looking up at the blue sky made me feel a little bit better. 

I would be assisting at a 炊き出し (if you forgot, this is giving out food) and festival type event in Watanoha, which is in East Ishinomaki. I went with Chiyomi, Michi, “A-chan” and CKD. We got there a bit early so we looked around.

This group was making mochi, which is pretty fun. First the rice gets crushed by two people walking around in circles pressing it with the big mallets. After a while, one guy starts hitting it, while the other one puts it back into place. 

So it’s WHACK reset WHACK reset. When pros do it, the guy resets it after each hit, and they have a good rhythm going on. When amateurs do it, they don’t reset it each time, because it’s just too dangerous. The mallet Yuki-kun used is still enough to break a finger or two, although maybe not with his strength. The one I used would do some serious damage.

As well as this, there was some live music, several food stalls, some stalls giving out clothes, shaved ice, and drinks. I tried some mochi and shaved ice, but didn’t have anything else, as it was too hot for food! When I was pounding mochi I noticed one person looking at me very intently, and it turned out to be someone I had met about 3 weeks ago. 

She was surprised to hear I had been in the area the whole time (she had returned to Chiba, but came back for this event). The group started packing up at around 1/1:30, which is when the other groups arrived. They would be doing their 炊き出しand festival from 5.

I first heard about the activity going on here from Foreign Volunteers Japan. Their blog is updated with stuff they are involved in, but much more active is their Facebook group. They have created a great network of people who are eager to help Tohoku.Through this group I have got into contact with lots of very active people, and it’s been invaluable in the spreading of information. Anyway, Mike Connolly contacted me about helping out with a BBQ. He had, with the help of some contacts, been able to procure a large amount of Aussie Beef, in the shape of 200+ steaks. *drool*

There were people from two groups here (not including FVJ), Grace City Relief, a church based group from Chiba and another group that GCR have some sort of connection to, Help Tohoku (in Japanese). There were a lot of high school kids from an International High School with them. It’s been AGES since I’ve talked to foreign teenagers, I forgot how funny they are. In some ways they seem more mature than their Japanese counterparts, in others ways less so, but they are just as amusing.

As we would just be frying steak, there was very little in the way of preparation to be done. Once the tent was up and BBQ in place, we had nothing to do, so helped out where we could.

Time to plant those seeds.

* Entry written by Dru Taylor

Dave Enright, who held a fundraiser and bought this tractor, posing with his son after a job well done.

I dont normally write stuff like this but this story is lovely. A couple of weeks ago we put an advert up in the BCCJ "We Care Japan" website for a tractor to help the people start growing their own fruit and vegetables in Minamisanriku AND within a few days a total stranger Dave Enright and his lovely family Mariko Sage and Airi from Hakuba answered to say they had organised a fundraising reggae event.

 Using the money they raised from the event, they went right out and bought a tractor which they delivered last week to OGA who are doing amazing things. After 2 days of talking and organizing with a lovely guy from the Joyful Honda home centre ( he worked all day thursday helping us even though it was his day off ) my wife Kyoko got a unbelievable price. 

On Saturday (actually 2 o`clock sunday morning as it became another epic journey/day) we managed to deliver 1400 seedlings to OGA for AID, 500 tomatoes, 500 peppers, 300 okra and 100 aubergine seedlings, along with the tools and poles for the tomatoes. 

We started planting on Sunday morning before having to leave to get the rental truck back to Chiba and now Peter of OGA, and the local people have been planting the rest. 

This story is the start of something fantastic in the rebuilding of Minamisanriku to get the people working making money but mostly seeing a future. Many people have worked hard to make this happen so I bow my head and thankyou all.

Announcing the FVJ Community Forums

 I'd like to take this opportunity to announce the Foreign Volunteers Community Forums. Although created by Max Hodges a little while ago, I have to admit that I've been a little slow on the ball to promote and encourage discussion on the Forums. 

Although most of the FVJ discussions have been taking place via Facebook, there is a lot of information that gets regularly buried under newer threads. That is why the FVJ Discussion Forums have been designed from the ground up to provide a much easier system to interact, plan and organize activities.

These forums are designed to be a friendly and valuable place for like-minded people interested in playing a role in Japan's disaster recovery efforts to share ideas and opportunities and get connected to and inspired by others.

FVJ Community Forums run on a brand new platform with some snazzy features. We think the design and functionality is very contemporary and fresh and, most important, it feels more social than other systems. A few of the many cutting-edge features include:

-Social Engagement - An intuitive "like" system makes users feel appreciated for their contributions, while integration with Facebook and twitter allows easy registration and sharing.

-Recent Activity Stream - Allow you to easily see all the recent happenings on the forum, beyond just the messages posted. You can follow other members to get your own personalized news feed showing the content you want to see.

-Alerts - Make it easy for you to stay up-to-date with relevant updates. You'll receive alerts when someone quotes your post or responds to a status update, when you receive a new trophy, and more.

-Private Conversations - are like private threads. Nobody can see your private conversation, not even the administrator. Now here is the cool part; you can invite as many people to your conversation as you like, sort of like three way calling. Go here to start a conversation or click on a persons avatar to invite them to converse. Or access conversations from your inbox above. You can also invite in more people from the conversation thread (you will see the Invite More link over on the right hand side of the conversation).

We look forward to your participation in making the FVJ Community Forums the most valuable destination possible for Tohoku relief volunteers.

You can register with your Facebook account:
http://whiterabbitpress.com/fvj/index.php