[Flooding in Western Japan] Call for International Volunteers
Western Japan was hit by historic rainfall in July 2018, leading to the deadliest storm-related disaster in the past 36 years. Heavy rains triggered flooding, landslides, and mudslides simultaneously, and claimed lives of over 200 people in the region. In response to the worst storm-related disaster in the Heisei era, Peace Boat Disaster Relief Volunteer Center (PBV) has launched relief activities in the affected area.
Prolonged evacuation at the emergency shelters and cleaning of damaged houses that had been flooded to the second floor have been an enormous physical and emotional burden to the local residents. PBV has been supporting the management of emergency shelters and local disaster volunteer centers, cleaning damaged houses and distributing hot meals, focusing on Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, one of the worst damaged areas.
People in the damaged area are facing huge challenges in recovery, and are in a great need of help to rebuild their lives and communities. PBV is now making an open call for international volunteers who can contribute to the relief activities in Kurashiki. We seek your kind attention and cooperation. Thank you very much!
Overview <Application is now closed- Thank you!>
Flooding in Western Japan: Call for International Volunteers (Meet / Finish at Shin-Kurashiki)
- Schedule
September 4, 2018 (Tuesday) – September 6, 2018 (Thursday)
- Place of activities
Kurashiki-shi, Okayama prefecture (Mabi area) 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
*For Japanese speakers, please visit and apply from here.
- Terms and Conditions
- Those who can attend activities from 4 September, Tuesday to 6 September, Thursday in full.
*Please complete your application by 28th August 2018 (Tuesday). Please note that we may close the application before the given date if the places are filled.
2. 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).
3. Those who can organize volunteer insurance by the day before the departure. You can purchase insurance at a Social Welfare Council. 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.
4. Those who can prepare designated goods.
Work related items and equipment are available for rental. We will send you a list of items available for rental in our reply to your application.
5. Those who can make a participation payment of 1,000 yen.
The accommodation site has been courteously provided by local residents. The participation fee will be collected on-site to cover the cost of utilities. * Free of charge for PBV Annual Support Members
◆ The following are not mandatory requirements, but preferred:
- Those who have a valid driver’s license and are experienced in driving vehicles in Japan.
*Please note that we cannot guarantee that the assigned activities will be in the field of your specialization.
- Time and Place of Meet-up
Meet-up time：4th September, 2018 (Tuesday) 16:30
Meeting point：JR Shin-Kurashiki station, South Exit (Sanyo Shinkansen/ Sanyo Honsen). Meet outside Daily Yamazaki Store on the ground floor (convenience store).
* We will meet up at the station and travel to the volunteer base by a local bus (bus fee JPY 170).
* Orientation meeting will be held after the arrival to the PBV base. Detail of the planned activities will be shared during the meeting. Please bring necessary documents with you.
* The schedule is provisional and subject to change due to the circumstance on site.
- Time of Departure
Pick-up/ drop-off during the activities cannot be arranged. We will split up after the activity on 6th September is completed (17:00 – 20:00 or later). Time of departure is subject to change depending on the activities. Should you wish to stay over for the night of 6th September, please check out by 7:00 a.m. (check-out time is subject to change) .
- How to Apply <Application is now closed- Thank you!>
Application in advance is mandatory. Please provide the following information and send your message to relief[＠]peaceboat.gr.jp by 28th August. 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：
■ Sex：
■Date of departure (please select)：6th September (evening) / 7th September (morning)
■ Means of travel to Shin-Kurashiki (please select)：Shinkansen, Train, Bus, Own Vehicle, Other (please specify: )
■ Type of your driver’s License：
■ Will you be able to drive during the relief activities if required?: Yes/ No
■ 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. Kindly adjust your e-mail setting to receive a reply from relief[＠]peaceboat.gr.jp.
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[at]peaceboat.gr.jp (preferred)
FAX: 03-3362-6073