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Miyagi Support Center News "Link (Yui)" No. 12, May 14, 2011

"Let's support our fellows in Tohoku with our bonds of friendship and strengths."

Issued by the Miyagi Support Center of the Japan Disability Forum (JDF) HQs for the Support of Persons with Disabilities affected by the East Japan Great Earthquake.

Office: c/o Hagi-no-Sato Daini-Hukujyuen, Taihaku-ku, Sendai city.(Since May 1)
Phone and fax: +81-22-244-6965

URL:http://www.dinf.ne.jp/doc/japanese/JDF_shienhonbu.html


It is in mid-May, and we have warm weather nowadays.
Activities by Miyagi Support Center are beginning to spread little by little among the communities hit by the disaster. We will continue to work to meet the demands in community, although supporters will be changed repeatedly.

Number of visits (on May 13)

  supporter shelter city/town/village support center for PWDs related organization home/others
The day 25 3 6 5 0 7
Total 1,343 596 Whole cities , towns and villages 350 128 449

 

From the surveys diary

JDF sent full-time staff to a base of supports for PWDs / Minami-Sanriku town

On May 13, we had the meeting on “The East Japan Great Earthquake Meeting support system for PWDs in Minami-Sanriku town” at the temporary town hall.
There are now lots of bodies to implement support activities for PWDs in the town. However, it is difficult for most of stakeholders to distinguish the differences between each body. We heard some voices like “Need to repeat same story again and again!!”, “Less effective due to duplication of supports!!” and so on.
The meeting was occurred to solve such situation by coordination of each support activities.
Participants of the meeting were the followings; local government, offices of social welfare, related organizations, support centers for PWDs, the Miyagi Support Center of JDF, the Miyagi Center for PWDs in the area hit by the disaster, the Association for Aid and Relief, the council of organizations related to CWDs/Persons with learning difficulties/Persons with developmental disorders for disaster response, and so on.
In the meeting, each offices and organizations reported the present situations and the challenges faced. It is said that reference for disaster response should be unified and done by local government.
As the results of the meeting, it was decided to unify the reference for disaster response through setting up telephone line and full-time staff in the support center Kaze-no- Sato nearby the temporary town hall.
Furthermore, it was decided that the staff should be sent from the Miyagi Support Center of JDF for making cooperation between each organization easier.
Actually, it is one of challenges in Miyagi prefecture to unify reference for disaster response and to implement support activities without trouble and delay.
At this time, it is only an attempt in Minami-Sanriku town, but it is still meaningful because it is implementing under a local government. We wish that the attempt will work smoothly, and be expanded to the whole Miyagi prefecture.

Activity Record

  • May 11th, Wednesday: We visited the department of health and welfare in a center of Health and welfare to request cooperation with us.
  • May 12th, Thursday: We participated in the meeting to prepare “The East Japan Great Earthquake Meeting on support system for PWDs in Minami-Sanriku town”.
  • May 13th, Friday: We sent 4 members from the Support Center Miyagi to “The East Japan Great Earthquake Meeting on support system for PWDs in Minami-Sanriku town”, including the person in charge and the Secretary General.

A word from supporters

  • I was very shocked by the terrible sight of the disaster, when I arrived on May 8th.
    I worked for survey, although I could not find out what I could do as supports for the survivors.
    Most of survivors gave me words of appreciation warmly. I was moved by their warmness in spite of such situation. (From Tokyo)
  • I worked for survey in Ishinomaki city and Onagawa town from May 8th to 14th. I was surprised because it was just started to remove rubble in Ishinomaki city and not started yet in Onagawa town at that time.
    We knew neither how we could meet demands found out in community by the former survey group nor what kind of social services were available. However, we could provide some supports for PWDs with having assistance from local government and office of social welfare.
    I could reconfirm link of human being as a basis of welfare in this week.
    I want to provide any supports for survivors as much as I can. (From Hyogo prefecture)
  • I was shocked by the terrible sight I have never seen before, and I have started survey with anxiety.
    Although I had heard that it would be very difficult to meet PWDs, I could found them out one by one through repeating survey visits.
    Many of PWDs told me that there was no difficulty in their shelter life because of increasing of supporters in these 2 months after the disaster. However, it seemed that the stress of PWDs and care providers were getting bigger and bigger.
    At a center, staffs said that they had no place to tell their demands due to lack of consultation system. I felt that supports for supporters were keenly needed.
    Moreover, I met a family who was confused by lack of materials and goods for their life. They could not have enough goods for assistance after moving from shelter to their house. (From Shiga prefecture)

For better reconstruction of community life of persons with disabilities, we need more people who support our work!!Your cooperation is keenly needed!!!

We are confronted with lack of supporters right now. Needed staffs and jobs are the followings;

  1. Supporters of the Miyagi Support center; needs survey through visits to shelters and support centers, meeting needs found and etc.
  2. Secretary staffs of the Miyagi Support center; telephone consultation, coordination to meet needs, accountant, administration, general affairs, logistics, public relations, activity report, and etc.
  3. Supporters of Northern Miyagi Support Center; survey visits to shelters in Kesen-numa and Minami-Sanriku, and etc.

Translated by Japanese Society for Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities
Volunteer translator: Mr. Makoto Kono