[Flood in Western Japan] Project Period Extended until March!
More than five months have passed since the historical rainfall and flood hit western Japan in July this year.
Peace Boat Disaster Relief Volunteer Center (PBV) has been working closely with the people in flooded areas in Kurashiki, Okayama prefecture, to provide support to the local residents since the disaster. More than 300 volunteers have participated in the PBV’s disaster relief activities since then.
The number of the evacuees in official shelters has declined to 21 and many moved to their temporary housings in Kurashiki and neighboring areas now. PBV has carried our relief project in Mabi-cho in the city, which was severely damaged by the disaster, with 5600 houses (out of approx. 8700) having been flooded.
The number of volunteers to the local volunteer center has dropped significantly after summer, and many support organizations left the area for other projects. However, the residents in the area are still facing challenges to rebuild their livelihood and communities in Mabi, with more than 150 houses still in need of cleaning. Considering these local circumstances, PBV has decided to extend the project period in Mabi until 24th March, 2019. We plan to continue accepting the volunteers who can work with us to help the local residents restarting their lives in their hometown.
We plan 
to organize another teams of international volunteers in January (details will be available soon), but if you are comfortable working in Japanese speaking environment, you are most welcome to take a part in activities conducted in Japanese as an individual volunteer. Should you be interested in joining, please contact us at relief@pbv.or.jp for details. Please note that the PBV base in Kurashiki will be closed for new participants from 24 December 2018 to 3 January 2019.
Please visit PBV website (JP) for details on the volunteer opportunity: https://pbv.or.jp/volunteer/2018_nishinihon?fbclid=IwAR1FT9Xq3KVoByHS6d7nBAjdAnnsq0_xYx-027vemlp7gfH6BmB7Ni-0UWg
We look forward to seeing and working with you in Kurashiki!