Response to the Earthquake / Tsunami in Northern Japan

21 Apr 2011

One month after the Tohoku region was hit by a large earthquake on March 11th, we are now moving from a crisis phase to a phase of caring for the survivors and helping them look towards their future and the reconstruction effort.

 

Our mission is to support families and communities around the world living in extreme poverty to achieve self-reliance. In response to this great tragedy within our own community.

 

Being faithful to HOPE International Development Agency Japan’s (HOPE-JP) philosophy we are harboring relationship with the neglected communities in the area and engaging ourselves to a long term commitment which we are calling "Rebirth: a return to self-reliance". In keeping with our philosophy of working with local grassroots organizations, partnerships have been established and we have created the HOPE for Japan Fund, for those who desire to give through HOPE-JP to those in need in Northern Japan.

 

Days after the earthquake HOPE-JP called on its supporters and the community to help those in need by bringing desperately needed goods to the Community Donation Drive hosted by the Hilton Nagoya. The response was amazing. HOPE-JP, based in Nagoya, witnessed the generosity of the community coming together for the people of Tohoku. People from many nations came to donate, volunteer, and spread the word via social media, email and networking. The Donation Drive, which was supposed to last one day, lasted instead 22 days thanks to the great volunteers and the people who came to donate. The items were quickly sent to communities affected by the disaster. With the help of Japan Mercy Flights we were able to locate pockets of survivors who had received very little aid or no aid at all due to their isolated location and airlift by helicopter the supplies that they needed. A total of 15 trucks and vans left the Hilton Nagoya, filled with donation.

These are some of the total numbers of donated items: Baby Diapers - 46,952 Adult Diapers - 7,016 Hokkairo - 10,556 Baby Formula - 1,154 Baby Bottles – 195 Baby Wipes - 1,786 Masks - 87,523 Sanitary Napkins - 26,854 Band-aids – 6661 Hygiene Kits – 297 and many more items.

 

We would like to thank everyone who participated in the Donation Drive. We are now shifting our efforts in securing bulk purchases and donation that match the request from the different communities we are working with. We are still accepting cash donations, which will go to making Personal Hygiene Kits and reconstruction efforts.

 

Corporate supporters have also shown their support to the victims of the tragedy by donating funds, warehousing, transportation and bulk goods. We would like to thank, in particular, Oak Lawn Marketing (OLM), who have donated 150 million yen for phases two and three. OLM has created a fund called OLM x HOPE = Genki Japan. For more information, please visit their facebook page - http://www.facebook.com/OLMHOPE.

 

In addition, HOPE-JP and partners have sent almost 40 vehicles with supplies, including: over 100,000 liters of water, 5,000 Kg of rice, many tons of food, bedding and bicycles. Supplies have been delivered to the following communities: Koriyama, Nihonmatsu, and Soumu in Fukushima, Tokizawa, Minamisanriku, Onagawa, Miyatojima and Oshima, Katsurashima, Kesennuma , Kyubunhama and Utatsu in Miyagi and Ofunato and Ootsuchi-cho in Iwate from our two warehouses in Fukushima city and in Sugo (near Sendai). Our partners, Global Medic, has installed 8 water systems, which they brought from Canada.

 

Please be reassured that our commitments to our projects abroad remain unchanged. We currently have ongoing projects in Cambodia, Pakistan, Ethiopia, India, Afghanistan and the Philippines.

 

Continue to help us support people everywhere, become a HOPE member today.

 

For more information contact our Communications Coordinator, Isa Rondon Ichikawa Pierron at isa@hope.or.jp  

 

20 Apr 2011

Some images and captions of HOPE's efforts in aid of Tohoku...
 

 

 

07 Apr 2011

We are collecting Hygiene kits at the Donation Drive at the Hilton Nagoya.
 Download the flyer in PDF

 

Thanks to the great community response to our Donation Drive we have been able to send many desperately needed supplies to many affected communities.
 

 

At this time we are only accepting Personal Hygiene Kits until Sunday, April 10th.
After the 10th we will accept 1500 yen donations per Personal Hygiene Kit
(this covers items in the kit and transportation).

 

 

05 Apr 2011

Saatchi & Saatchi Fallon Tokyo KK advertising agency is fundraising among their employees and created this simple and powerful video.