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01
Sep 2019

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Study Tours in Ishinomaki

Since the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami in 2011, we have developed our relationship with the people in Ishinomaki, and our relationship has now grown beyond the context of disaster relief into a locally rooted form. More than half of the 1100 passengers joined optional tours during the Peace Boat’s visit to Ishinomaki, and the rest enjoyed their free time in the city and surrounding areas. With great support from the local people and authorities, the participants on the optional tours enjoyed sightseeing, and learned about the disaster, and the community building, in Ishinomaki, Onagawa and Matsushima. For those passengers from other parts of Japan, visiting and listening to […]

28
Aug 2019

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Peace Boat visits Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture

On August 21, the Peace Boat’s passenger ship, Ocean Dream, called to the port of Ishinomaki for the first time in six years. The visit was part of the Peace Boat’s East Asia Voyage. The ship was warmly welcomed by local people with fishing boat flags and Kurofune taiko drums from Date, Ogatsu-cho, as it entered the industrial port of Ishinomaki. The ship with 1100 passengers slowly approached the shore, while members of the city of Ishinomaki, Onagawa-cho, the city of Higashi-Matsushima, Matsushima-cho and the city of Osaki set up their booths with their local specialities on the quay. These local authorities in the Miyagi prefecture are promoting their regions […]

10
Jul 2019

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Cyclone Idai: Food and Seed Kit Distribution Program in the Buzi District

In order to support community survival until the next harvest, we started distributing food and seed kits in 12 communities in the Buzi District, Sofala Province, in early June. The food kits contain rice and maize flour; both serve as staple foods in the country,  as well as cooking oil and beans, while the seed kits contain vegetable seeds and sweet potato roots for increased food security and nutrition. We aimed to distribute kits to the households in the village with a focus on the most vulnerable. As mentioned in the previous posts, the communities were located in remote areas with limited transportation. Many roads were still blocked and regular […]

15
Jun 2019

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Cyclone Idai: Relief Program in Buzi District

While communicating with multiple thematic clusters of international relief agents gathered in Beira, we tried to identify the locations and programs most in need based on up-to-date information gathered from international and local organizations. In the course of these activities, we came across a member of a local NGO, Kulima. This NGO has been actively involved in social and economic projects since its foundation in the 1980s and fostered strong networks in rural communities across the country. The abundant knowledge and experience of this NGO helped us a great deal while we had limited connections in the country. With an emergency grant from a Japan-based international NGO, Japan Platform, we decided […]

20
May 2019

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Cyclone Idai: Damage in Rural Areas in Mozambique

The dispatched PBV members traveled to rural communities outside Beira for further investigation of the damage caused by Cyclone Idai. The storm first made landfall in Beira then headed inland, moving westward over a plain which rivers run through. The landscape creates favorable conditions for agriculture in ordinary times, but led to extensive flooding during and after the storm. In particular, Buzi District located in the south of Beira experienced severe flooding due to the storm. During the storm, many were rescued from the area by helicopter and boat while witnessing the water lever rising way over head height. In some parts, the water from the storm had yet to […]

08
May 2019

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Cyclone Idai: Damage and Needs Assessment in Sofala Province, Mozambique

In mid-March 2019, a tropical cyclone, Idai, struck Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe. It devastated the region. The death toll rose to 603 in Mozambique alone and thousands of people have been struggling to even live their everyday lives. The Peace Boat Disaster Relief Volunteer Center (PBV) dispatched two staff members to Beira, Sofala Province, Mozambique, in April for damage assessment for emergency relief. Beira is a port city located in the central part of the country and serves as the second largest city after the capital Maputo. The city is not only a busy commercial hub, home to 500,000 people, but also boasts one of the most strategic ports in […]

20
Apr 2019

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Emergency Relief Fund for Cyclone Idai, Mozambique

Cyclone Idai struck southern Africa in mid-March, causing devastation across Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi. Despite little international news coverage, the United Nations has described it as “one of the deadliest storms on record in the southern hemisphere”. To date, the disaster has claimed over 1,000 lives and affected more than 3 million people across the region. Tens of thousands of people are displaced and staying in temporary camps, and over 300,000 homes were destroyed. Furthermore, the destruction of critical infrastructure and other impacts have led to the spreading of illnesses such as cholera and malaria. Emergency humanitarian support for survivors is now an urgent task. In response to this crisis, PBV has […]

29
Mar 2019

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[Western Japan Flooding] Interim Project Report: Flood Relief Efforts in Western Japan

In response to the disasters caused by the torrential rains and flooding in widespread areas of Western Japan in early July 2018, the Peace Boat Disaster Relief Volunteer Center has been working to support the locals in Mabicho and surrounding areas. The relief effort started with a damage assessment by the dispatched expert staff members to identify the needs of the local residents, then moved to diverse support activities, ranging from hot meal distribution, assistance in evacuation center management, house cleaning, support for the operation of the volunteer center, community rebuilding and photo-cleaning. Hundreds of volunteers joined the PBV from all over Japan and overseas, relaying a baton of willingness […]

10
Mar 2019

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[Western Japan Flooding] Meet the PBV Volunteers! Introducing Harshil

The Peace Boat Disaster Relief Volunteer Center has been working in Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture, to provide support to the local residents affected by the flooding last July. For the last seven months, in Kurashiki, over 400 volunteers hav e participated and offered a helping hand in a wide range of relief efforts with PBV, from hot meal distribution and evacuation shelter operation at the earlier phase after the disaster to house cleaning, community building, and, more recently, photo-cleaning. As part of a series, we would like to introduce some of the volunteers who joined our team in Kurashiki recently. Today, we are introducing Harshil from New Zealand. ———– With extra days […]

01
Mar 2019

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[Western Japan Flooding] Meet the PBV Volunteers! Introducing Michael

The Peace Boat Disaster Relief Volunteer Center has been working in Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture, to provide support to the local residents affected by the flooding last July. For the last seven months, in Kurashiki, over 400 volunteers have participated and offered a helping hand in a wide range of relief efforts with PBV, from hot meal distribution and evacuation shelter operation at the earlier phase after the disaster to house cleaning, community building, and, more recently, photo-cleaning. This week, as part of a series, we would like to introduce some of the volunteers who joined our team in Kurashiki recently. Today, we are introducing Michael from Italy. ———– When we […]

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