By Jon Ehrenfeld | Project Officer
Update from Minamisanriku
From our partners in Peace Winds Japan comes the heartening news that the wind-break fence Peace Winds America helped construct is built and doing its job admirably. Earlier this year we heard from our partners that workers processing oysters – a job done in the cold Tohoku winter – required a fence to stay warm while they worked. The oyster fishermen and processers alike requested this facility be built to aid them as they continued on the path to economic recovery.
We are happy to report that the 45-meter fence is working as advertised and earning high marks from the fishing families in Minamisanriku. One worker told us, “Thanks to the fence, when there is a strong windy day like today, we can work without any big obstacles! Thank you very much for your support!” We’d like to pass that message of thanks on to our donors and supporters, without whom none of this would be possible.
Next Steps and Future Projects
Peace Winds America remains committed to ongoing economic recovery for the fishing industry in Tohoku. PWA is presently exploring a proposal to provide LED lighting for fishermen of the Utatsu fishing cooperative of Minamisanriku. Many of the ports have been rebuilt since the tsunami, but they are dark and unlit at night. This presents difficulties for the fishermen, who worry about security and about having to work in the dark. Working with Peace Winds Japan, PWA will help fund solar LEDs at several ports. The solar panels on the lights will collect power during the day and keep the ports safe and brightly lit at night.
With the third anniversary of the tsunami in sight, PWA thanks our supporters again and reaffirms our commitment to the people of Tohoku.
Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.
If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.
