23
Aug 2011
Short-term and weekly volunteer positions for September are now open. We are now in need of volunteers to help with diversifying needs including cleaning of graves, fishing industry support, provision of bath facilities, delivery of daily necessities to temporary housing facilities assistance with town-building activities.
23
Aug 2011
An exhibition of photographs from areas affected by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake & Tsunami was conducted during Peace Boat’s 73rd Global Peace Voyage (April 24, 2011 to July 12, 2011). Volunteers and staff members who had volunteered in Ishinomaki immediately after disaster struck joined Peace Boat as it traveled on its journey around the world to visit 19 ports around the world.
The photo exhibition was called “Standing Together! Standing Stronger!” and was developed with the aim of showing people the situation in the disaster-affected areas and to communicate Japan’s appreciation to all of the people and countries around the world for their support.
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.
11
Aug 2011
To benefit the victims of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami that shook the lives of so many in March 2011, 49 artists from 18 countries came together in Singapore to rerecord Coldplay’s Fix You. This song has now been released worldwide, and all proceeds will go towards the Japanese Red Cross Society and Peace Boat.
10
Aug 2011
Peace Boat has been carrying out its relief operations with the support of many individuals and organisations both within and outside Japan. As well as the international volunteers featured in reports on this site earlier, many members of the international community living in Japan have been greatly active in supporting the relief and recovery efforts going on since March. One such group is the Nigerian community in Japan, who gathered to support Peace Boat’s project for people moving into temporary housing in Onagawa, Miyagi Prefecture.
09
Aug 2011
These dolls are “tsunamika” – gifts to citizens of Ishinomaki from the Auroville community in south India, who were greatly affected by the 2004 Sumatra tsunami. “Having overcome the tsunami ourselves, we are alive here today. These small dolls are a living symbol of that. As we were able to become independent, we also believe that you will be able to recover,” is the message sent by these dolls from India to Japan.
When Peace Boat visited India in April and May in 2011, many tsunamika were brought to the ship to be given to survivors of the tsunami which hit Japan this year. Thanks to Peace Boat’s volunteers, these tsunamika have now reached the hands of the community in Ishinomaki. These dolls remind us of the importance of supporting each other, even across the sea. Thank you to the people of Auroville!
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 Recovery Market” was set up at the Kawabiraki Festival to sell local and traditional products of stores that had re-opened since the disaster, with proceeds of sales further contributing to recovery efforts. Another popular area was the Ishinomaki Childrens’ Play Area, set up to provide somewhere for children to enjoy themselves – still rare in Ishinomaki, where many parks cannot be used. We hope that Peace Boat was able to contribute in a small way to the revitalization of local industries through the Ishinomaki Recovery Market. Thank you so much to all of the volunteers, and particularly to the people of Ishinomaki who came to the festival and offered such warm encouragement!