[Flood in Western Japan] Call for International Volunteers: January 2019
We are calling for a team of international volunteers to Kurashiki, Okayama, again!
Western Japan was hit by historic rainfall in July 2018, leading to the worst storm-related disaster in the Heisei era. In response to the disaster, Peace Boat Disaster Relief Volunteer Center (PBV) has carried out relief activities in the affected area right after the disaster in July. Since then, PBV has dispatched hundreds of volunteers from all over Japan and also from other countries, to Kurashiki city, Okayama Prefecture where severely damaged by the disaster.
People in the damaged area are still facing huge challenges in recovery, and are in a great need of help from volunteers to rebuild their lives and communities. PBV organised a team of international volunteers in October (the report available on [Flooding in Western Japan] Helping Hands Beyond Borders and Nationalities), and we are now making another call for international volunteers who can join our activities in Kurashiki in the new year. We offer language support (in English) during the volunteer activities, so this will be a great opportunity for those willing to help the people in the damaged area but may be feeling a little hesitant to join because of the language barrier. Should you be interested in joining, or know someone who may be, please do let us know and share this news!
Overview
Flooding in Western Japan: Call for International Volunteers (Meet / Finish at Shin-Kurashiki)
Schedule
January 11, 2019 (Friday) – January 14, 2018 (Monday, public holiday)
Friday: Meet at Shin-Kurashiki station at 18:00, transfer to PBV volunteer base, orientation
Saturday: Support activities
Sunday: Support activities
Monday: Support activities, and departure from Shin Kurashiki after the activity (around 17:00)
(*Those who wish to stay overnight may leave the base on Tuesday morning).
Place of activities
Kurashiki-shi, Okayama prefecture and other regions damaged by the flooding.
*Place of activity is subject to change due to local situation. The relief activities have been implemented in the above-mentioned area, in collaboration with the local Social Welfare Council, authorities and NPOs working in the area, in consideration of balanced support.
Activity
・Cleaning of damaged houses (removal of furniture, clean-up of mud and debris, etc..)* Activity you will be engaging are subject to change due to the local situation at the time.
Application Guideline
Number of volunteers required: 8 English speakers and 2 bilingual (Japanese/English) speakers
Terms and Conditions
-Those who can attend activities from 11 January, Friday to 14 January, Monday in full.
-Those who are in a sound state of health and above 18 / below 65.
*If you are under 20, you need to submit a designated form of letter of consent signed by your guardian. (Please contact us for details).
-Those who can organize volunteer insurance by the day before the departure. You can purchase insurance at your local Social Welfare Council (社会福祉協議会）. Please visit：Website of Tokyo Social Welfare Council (in Japanese) http://www.tokyo-fk.com/volunteer/document/V1-volunteer2018.pdf
* Please note that we are not able to accept you as a volunteer unless you are insured by the time of meet-up.
-Those who can prepare designated goods (Work related items and equipment are available for rental.)
-Those who can make a participation payment of 1,000 yen. The accommodation site has been offered by courtesy of the local residents. The participation fee will be collected on-site to cover the cost of utilities. Please click here to find more information on the volunteer base).
* Free of charge for PBV Annual Support Members
*Cost of Transportation to/from Shin-Kurashiki station, Meals, Public bath and Laundry should be borne by the individual volunteers and will not be covered by the PBV.
◆ The following are not mandatory requirements, but preferred:
Those who have a valid driver’s license and are experienced in driving vehicles in Japan.
Time and Place of Meet-up
Meet-up time：11th January, 2019 (Friday) 18:00
Meeting point：JR Shin-Kurashiki station, South Exit (Sanyo Shinkansen/ Sanyo Honsen). Meet outside Daily Yamazaki convenience store on the ground floor.
* Orientation meeting will be held after the arrival to the PBV volunteer base. Detail of the planned activities will be shared during the meeting. The schedule is provisional and subject to change due to the circumstance on site.
Time of Departure from Shin Kurashiki
We will split up after the activity on 14th January is completed (17:00 or later). Time of departure is subject to change depending on the activities. Should you wish to stay over for the night of 14th January, please check out by 7:00 a.m. on the following day.
How to Apply
Application in advance is mandatory. Please provide the following information in your message to relief＠pbv.or.jp by 10th January. We will get back to you with more details in due course.
■ Name (in alphabet)：
■ Name (in Katakana)：
■ Phone number：
■ E-mail address：
■ Address (prefecture of residence in Japan)：
■ Age and Date of Birth：
■ Sex：
■ Date of departure from Shin Kurashiki after the activity (please select)：14th January (evening) / 15th January (morning)
■ Means of travel to Shin-Kurashiki (please select)：Shinkansen, Train, Bus, Own Vehicle, Other (please specify):
■ Type of your driver’s License, if any：
■ Will you be able to drive during the relief activities if required?: Yes/ No
■ Japanese Language Proficiency Level (will you be able to help with interpretation during the activity?)：
■ Experience in disaster relief volunteer activities (if any, please specify):
■ Questions (if any)?
* We will get back to you with more details upon receipt of your application. Please note that we may close the application before the given date if we receive a sufficient number of participants.
Contact
Peace Boat Disaster Relief Volunteer Center
2F-A, 3-13-1 Takadanobaba, Shinjuku, Tokyo 169-0075, Japan
TEL: 03-3363-7967(10:00-18:30) *English speaker available on Tuesdays & Thursdays
E-MAIL: relief@pbv.or.jp (preferred)
FAX: 03-3362-6073