Miyagi Support Center News "Link (Yui)" No.19, June 11, 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 Fukuju-en, Taihaku-ku, Sendai city.
Phone and fax: +81-22-244-6965
http://www.dinf.ne.jp/doc/english/resource/tohoku_earthquake.html

Today it is 3 months since the disaster. While some people have moved into temporary homes, still many people are living in shelters waiting for the construction of theirs. In the mean time, support centers for disabled people are being rebuilt and reopen. Against this background we report our JDF/Miyagi’s activities.

Number of visits from Miyagi Support center up to June 10

JDF visited 1343 persons with disabilities

Visit to “Village of Dreams (Yume no Sato)”

This NPO in Ishinomaki-city had his three group homes destroyed in the tsunami. To make matters worse, staff who had lost their homes too were forced to relocate far away and thus unable to maintain their employment. Nevertheless, the NPO not only looked after its original habitants, but also provided disabled children and elderly with temporary housing, free of charge. What’s more, costs were only partly funded by the Japan Foundation and funds for repairing the damaged group homes were channeled through JDF. The grassroots organization has developed to Social Welfare Cooperation last year that is truly effective in their locality in Miyagi prefecture. It shows full of energy.

Photographs of a damaged Yume no Sato home, after the repairs.

Ms. Sugawara Director and Mr. Nishikawa, head of admin

Earth Village was featured on TV

The workshop “Earth Village” in Yamamoto-town, which has engaged in support activities within JDF, reopened on June 9 after reconstruction through JDF support. It was featured on TBC’s news　program on June 10. We were energized to see the smiles and pleasure of everybody working and will endeavor to have this last into the future.

From Kahoku Newspaper (June 10)

Reported on a meeting reflecting on the causes why deaf people and wheel chair users were delayed to seek evacuation from the tsunami. The three main political parties (DPJ, LDP and Komei) agreed on changes in legislation and disaster alerts. Furthermore, the meeting called for measures to ensure persons with disabilities too can return to normalcy in their daily lives.

From the office

• June 7 meeting on support systems in Natori-city
• June 8 meeting at the support center Miyagi on the Yume Kaze fund
• June 9 Visit to Yume no Sato (see above)
• June 10 Meeting with SELP, northern Tohoku block (in Yamagata prefecture)

A word from volunteers

　Arrive from the outside and witnessing the devastation of the communities and the conditions in shelters, the mental state of the survivors maybe all but unfathomable. One thing I can do upon return back home is to share my experiences as good as I can. I am happy to have been able to contribute in whatever small ways I could.

　I cam from Chiba Prefecture but before worked for 9 years in a kindergarten in Kesennuma-city. I was glad to put into action to provide any support I could, through JDF’s call for volunteers. For thanks to all the people at JDF who enabled me to help out for one week at a day-care center. I will come again.

We need more people to help the persons with disabilities rebuild their lives step by step in the community.
Please support our fellows with your contribution!

Volunteers needed

Expected duties:

1. Supporters at the Miyagi Support center: visit to evacuation shelters and support centers/facilities for the needs assessments and the support activities depending on the needs.
2. Office staff at the Miyagi Support center: telephone consultations, arrangements of the support activities depending on the needs, accounting, administrative managements, public information, report-writing and record managements.
3. Supporters at Miyagi Northern Part Support center: visit evacuation shelters, needs assessments and survey into the living conditions of persons with disabilities in Kesennuma-city and Minami-sanriku-town.

Translated by Japanese Society for Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities
Volunteer translator: Mr. Peter Bontje