17
Nov 2011

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Volunteers making vegetable fields

The Peace Boat fishing industry assistance volunteers have been active at many ports and coastal areas of the eastern part of Ishinomaki City and the Oshika Peninsula, as introduced on this page previously. This time, the team is also active on land, helping to build vegetable plots.

15
Nov 2011

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6th Newspaper Published!

This newspaper has been handed since October 2 by hand to 4000 households at over 80 temporary housing areas in the area. 6 newspapers have been published so far, and the 7th edition will be published and distributed on November 12.
The newspaper team is composed of regular volunteers every week. The newspapers are published every Friday, and distributed to each household over the week by the hands of 4 to 5 volunteer teams of 20 to 25 members each.

14
Nov 2011

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Volunteer accommodation facility Assistant Director (AD)

Matsumura Junichi has been working long term as a volunteer in charge of one of the volunteer accommodation facilities – a vital aspect of Peace Boat’s volunteer programme. Initially, volunteers were asked to bring their own tents during their stay in Ishinomaki. In conjunction with volunteer activities becoming long-term, more diverse and increasing in scale, volunteers are now provided with accommodation facilities with a roof and four walls. It is from these facilities that they depart each day to carry out volunteer activities.
“Mattsun” (Matsumura Junichi) has been in charge of operating one of the volunteer accommodation facilities located in a store called “Kaska Fashion.” This entry tells of the facilities provided and Mattsun’s experiences in Ishinomaki.

28
Oct 2011

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Team from Malaysia hard at work!

A volunteer team from the Malaysian Association of Youth Club (MAYC) spent five days in Ishinomaki between 18-22 October, working together with the local community to help support the recovery of the local fishing industry.
To date, international volunteers from 49 countries have worked together with Peace Boat.
The 20 members of the Malaysian Association of Youth Club were in their 20s-40s, and came all the way from Malaysia to contribute to supporting Japan. Having experience in disaster relief activities in their own country, they were able to play a large role in the activities, particularly supporting the recovery of the local fishing industry.

26
Oct 2011

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7 months on – the closure of the Ishinomaki evacuation centres

As of October 11, 7 months since the disaster, all evacuation centres of Ishinomaki City have been closed. This report introduces the situation as people move into evacuation centres, and Peace Boat plans to continue supporting the local community such as through provision of newspapers to temporary housing.

23
Oct 2011

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The Orahono Recovery Festival – Ishinomaki, Onagawa, Higashi Matsushima

On Sunday October 16, the “Orahono Recovery Festival – Ishinomaki, Onagawa, Higashi Matsushima” was held at the Ishinomaki City General Sports Park. Many people attended and enjoyed the lively booths and performances.
“Oraho no” translates to “Our” in the local dialect. The day was blessed with beautiful weather, and around 8,000 people joined the events including Mayor Kameyama Hiroshi of Ishinomaki, as a step taken together towards recovery. This was the first large event to be held by all three cities together in the aftermath of the disaster. When the Kawabiraki Festival was held 2 and a half months ago, volunteers were involved in coordinating much of the preparations and operations. Yet this time, this was reversed and volunteers served only a small role, with the local community taking full initiative. While much time is still needed for life to return to as it was before the disaster, the Orahono festival really demonstrated that energy, courage, and life is returning more and more to the area. The efforts of the local community to coordinate this festival are certainly going to play a great role in encouraging recovery efforts.

19
Oct 2011

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Ishinomaki Light & Art Festival

From October 8 to 10 the “Ishinomaki Light & Art Festival – Light a Candle in Prayer for Recovery” was held in the Kashima-miko Shrine grounds at Hiyoriyama Park.
Candles laid in the shape of the Kashima-miko Shrine’s crest in the temple grounds overlooking the coastline which suffered catastrophic damage in the disaster.

Please enjoy this report about the songs, dances, musical performances and light displays.

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