19
Aug 2011
Ganbatte 360 is a project which aims to visually document and disseminate information about the rebuilding process following the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami. They have created a series of 15 second-long videos which explain the work that Peace Boat is doing. The videos can now be seen on our website here.
17
Aug 2011
The collection of the Kinoya store “Cans of Hope,” a project that many volunteers were long involved in, has been completed!
The Kinoya cans contain local seafood, and were a precious source of nourishment for many evacuees after the tsunami. Peace Boat volunteers worked with factory employees to collect and sort the 80,000 cans since June 28. The recovery of these items and the reopening of the factory will make a great difference to the livelihoods of people in Ishinomaki.
15
Aug 2011
Peace Boat staff member Kobayashi Shingo (30) entered Ishinomaki together with three other colleagues on March 17, 2011. For the past five months, he has been based there working daily to build the “circle of aid” linking governmental and civilian agencies and groups there. Kobayashi was involved in the launch of the Ishinomaki Disaster Recovery Assistance Council (IDRAC), and has been the local coordinator between various volunteer groups, the local Social Welfare Council, the City Hall and the Self Defence Force.
05
Aug 2011
On August 1, the second day of the Kawabiraki Festival, there were many high-spirited voices flying about the shopping arcade on Tachi town’s main street. 4 and a half months after the disaster occurred, the street which had previously been full of sludge and piles of broken housing and furniture was clean enough to hold a parade. The liveliness of the area is continuing to come back bit by bit.
04
Aug 2011
The Ishinomaki Kawabiraki (“River Opening”) Festival held on July 31 and August 1. Alongside the people of Ishinomaki, many volunteers including people who came from afar and many who have been helping with the relief operations in Ishinomaki together participated in a variety of events and activities that were held during the 2-day festival. It was very much a home-made festival, with each part carefully and lovingly prepared in the short preparation period.
27
Jul 2011
Jeremy Browne MP, Minister of State at the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office and British Ambassador to Japan David Warren visited Ishinomaki on July 10.
After meeting with officials at the City Hall, Mr Browne then visited Peace Boat’s Central Kitchen in Ishinomaki together with Mayor Kameyama Hiroshi and Ito Shuki, Chair of the Ishinomaki Disaster Recovery Assistance Council (IDRAC) in order to see the actual activities to support survivors and the recovery of the affected areas.
12
Jul 2011
Yesterday’s post reported about volunteer activities to clean a local swimming pool of mud – which has now been completed!
Even for staff who have been in Ishinomaki for months and seen the great efforts of volunteers in many places throughout the city, it was a huge surprise to see the pool – which had been so filled with mud – cleaned in just two days.
The majority of the volunteers who participated in this cleanup effort were in Ishinomaki on the short-term programme – showing what can be achieved through teamwork in even a short volunteer stay.
11
Jul 2011
Peace Boat volunteers are working to clear mud from the local swimming pool, joined together by local children and their parents, who frequented the pool before the disaster and are now looking forward to its reopening this summer.
10
Jul 2011
This is a letter from a couple in Ishinomaki thanking volunteers for their assistance in cleaning their shop as a first step towards rebuilding their lives. Thank you to all of the volunteers and to the community in Ishinomaki for their cooperation.
07
Jul 2011
Many places within Ishinomaki still do not have any infrastructure such as electricity, water or gas, however in the central areas infrastructural reconstruction is gradually underway. However, even when running water is restored, the fact that most roadside drains are still filled with mud, sludge and debris has meant that water cannot be used in many cases. Volunteers are now working to clear these drains and ensure that running water can be restored.