Miyagi Support Center News "Link (Yui)" No. 15, May 25, 2011

Let’s Support our Fellows in Tohoku Region with our Bonds and Collective Power!

May 25, 2011
JDF Headquarters for the Comprehensive Support for Persons with Disabilities
Miyagi Support Center
c/o Fukujuen No. 2 (New address from May 1)
Taihaku-Ku, Sendai City
TEL/FAX: 022-244-6965
URL: http://www.dinf.ne.jp/doc/japanese/JDF_shienhonbu.html

Two and a half months have past since the Great Earthquake and Tsunami occurred. Lifelines of electricity and water systems have not yet restored in some of the affected areas and lots of the victims have been still in the shelter life. The living conditions of the victimized people with disabilities have been all the more harsh and their demands are getting urgent. Support activities to restore their living and space for their activities have been coming up in the various places. JDF Miyagi Support Center has been making home-visit or shelter-visit to support the people with disabilities, and trying to rebuild the 5 facilities for disability in the affected areas.

The total of visits (as of May 24, 2011)

Total number of the people with disabilities who got home/shelter visit: 1,259

Report as of May 20

JDF Miyagi Support Center opened the new extension center in the northern part of Miyagi Prefecture on May 1 and has started the full-scale visit survey in the northern area. It made dialogue with 45 people with disabilities in Minami-Sanriku Town in 20 days from May 1. As of May 20 JDF Miyagi Support Center could meet 1,259 people with disabilities in total by having the two extension centers and expand the support activities to meet their needs.

Facility for disability re-functioned in Minami-Sanriku Town

-Kazenosato, the center to support activities in the community, restarted the activities and Nozomi Welfare Workshop is going to be re-functioned.- Restart of Kazenosato was realized from May 17 as Consultation Support Center in the corner of Bay-side Arena. As the next step Nozomi Welfare Workshop is going to be re-functioned soon, building the temporal prefabrication workshop in the new place. The people concerned were in high spirits and shared their reconstruction plans with us. (To resume farming to plant sweet potatoes for Autumn Festival, etc.) Their lively smiles were very impressive. The new workshop is located in the mild mountain side with full of nature, which made us forget time and stay there. JDF Miyagi Support Center decided to give support to set up the temporal toilets by collaboration with CIL Tasuketto. What we can do is very small, but we would like to support Nozomi Welfare Workshop continuously.

Photo 1: Restarted Kazenosato, temporary workshop and counseling service in the container house

Secretariat Now

• May 22(Sun):
  -Had visits from Nagano Pref. Teachers Union and Nagano Pref. School Teachers Union for schools for children with disabilities, and got donations
• May 23(Mon):
  -Making a check on visit survey format and practical use of daily report
  -Data processing of visit survey
• May 24(Tue):
  -Had a visit from Mr. Nakashima, Vice Director of Yamagata Branch of Spinal Injuries Japan and Mr. Yawata, Board member of Yume-Kaze Fund
  -Organized the Third Information Sharing Meeting
  -Miyagi-no-Kai to support the affected people with disabilities joined JDF Miyagi Support Center

Voice from supporters at site

-The officers of City halls and Social Welfare Councils in Osaki City and Ishimaki City gave us information that two months after the Great Earthquake and Tsunami the facilities for disability were re-operated and the workshops would be re-started in time for the affected people with disabilities to commute from the shelters they are living. But I found the big gap between such information and the facts I saw. Lots of destroyed houses still remained in front of Ishinomaki Station, rubbles and floated cars at the quay, bad road condition, and bad smell all over the city, which told us how big the threats of the Tsunami was. The people have been still in the continuous hardship even 2 months afterward. I think there are unheard needs and demands, and felt difficulty in offering support to meet their needs properly. Seeing is believing. There are so many things which we can not understand without seeing with our own eyes. (Tokyo)

-What I do? What I can do? I arrived at the Northern Extension Support Center with positive and anxious feeling. I got a big shock facing at the reality which was the same to what I saw in the TV news. I made up my mind to make efforts to get a lot more smiles in the face of the people living there. (Aichi Pref.)

A lot more support is needed for the people with disabilities to rebuild their better community lives. Supporters are lacking. The needed support activities are as follows:

1. Supporters for JDF Miyagi Support Center:
Needs identification by making visits to the shelters and Welfare offices, and taking measures to meet the identified needs

2. Staff of JDF Miyagi Support Center:
Phone consultation, Coordination and action taking to meet the emerging needs, Accounting, General affairs, Logistics, Supporter coordination, Public relations, Report and documentation management

3. Supporters for Northern Extension Support Center:
Identification of the needs and the living condition of the affected people with disabilities by making visits to the shelters in Kesennuma and Minami-Sanriku areas

Translated by Japanese Society for Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities
Volunteer translator: Ms. Mayumi Yamazaki