By Miyako Hamasaka | PR Manager
In the aftermath of the earthquake, the city of Ishinomaki had to construct as many as 7,122 row-house-style transitional shelter units to house the disaster victims. The complex is the largest of its kind among all the municipalities that were affected by the disaster.
Now, forty three months down the line, many people still have no other options than to live in these basic dwellings. Even many elderly locals have to remain in these transitional shelters, and some are growing impatient to move out as they suffer from loneliness and often do not enjoy the comfort they use to have in their former homes.
Ishinomaki aims at setting up 4,000 disaster public housing units so that victims may move from temporary shelters to homes where they can live without anxiety. However, soring labor costs and material prices are delaying the construction work, and residents of the temporary shelters fear that their quality of life will not improve any time soon.
In an effort to bring relief to victims living in the complex, JEN organizes occasional networking events within the community. These events are much appreciated as they bring a sense solidarity and mutual support and understanding among the participants. A participant said “working in a group and talking with neighbors over lunch we cooked together provided me with an opportunity to become aware and learn about things that we usually take for granted.”
Let’s Create Our Dream Playground!
On August 24 and September 7, JEN held a workshop entitled “Let’s Create Our Dream Playground!” in cooperation with UNIQLO Dream Wall project.
JEN organized the workshop to seek ideas for the construction of a playground that will be built on the Kamikama Fureai Square located in western Ishinomaki city. A total of about 100 people, including many children, attended the workshop, creating a lively atmosphere.
Workshop participants firstly had a good look at the site. They observed how large it is, where it is located, and what its surroundings are. They then had the opportunity to give their input on what they would like to have in their “Dream Playground”. The children had a lot of fun doing so. Their opinions on the layout of the playground, the color of the equipment, how to play with the equipment and so on were put together into plans presented to architect Masayoshi Takeuchi. Mr. Takeuchi will then integrate these plans into his own architectural plan, which will take concrete shape next spring.
By taking their input into consideration, the workshop brought local residents a sense of ownership in the playground project. JEN is committed to continuing these activities that aim to create an environment where children really want to play so that they may be able to realize a town where they can live an easier life and hope to live for a long time.
Kadonowaki Junior High Student Council Wins Volunteer Spirit Award for its Efforts on "Spreading Flowerbeds through Human Connections"
The 18th Volunteer Spirit Award was awarded to the student council of the Ishinomaki Municipal Kadonowaki Junior High School.
The award aims to develop volunteerism among junior-high-school and high-school students by encouraging the conduction of volunteer activities, promoting exchanges with other students, and letting other students know more about volunteer activities.
The criteria for deciding the winner of the award are: contribution to the community, creativity, ability to make a plan and execute it, leadership, and the activity’s educational value.
Kadonowaki Junior High School also invited the students of the Ishinomaki Municipal Kadonowaki Elementary School and the Omachi Elementary School to join their project. The school districts where these two elementary schools are located were severely hit by the tsunami, particularly the Kadonowaki Elementary School which was burnt down. The tsunami and ensuing fires have left many districts completely changed. One of these districts, Minimicho, looked like “a deserted city” according to some students who used to live there. To rejuvenate the area, the students came up with this idea: “We hope to make a flowerbed in our inflicted school’s playground, and make people happy with flowers of many different colors”. The damage was so bad at Kadonowaki Elementary School that many people around the country came to see this particular site to get a grasp of the devastation of the disaster.
The teachers of the school consulted with the city board of education to realize the students’ idea, but they were told it was difficult to set up a flowerbed within the school’s premises because the reconstruction plan of the school had yet to be made.
JEN helped “these students of Ishinomaki, the most affected city by the disaster, set up their initiative aimed at cheering up their communities.” JEN’s help consisted of renting a vacant plot of land located at a short distance behind the school. It removed the rubbles, weeded the plot and cleared the litter to prepare the soil for flowers.
In November 2012, many local people and volunteers cooperated with the students in making a flowerbed and planting tulip bulbs. A surprising number of flowers imbued with the students’ hope bloomed the next spring. In the autumn of 2013, the flowerbed was taken charged by the first graders from the second graders who first came up with the idea. In this manner, the activity will be perpetuated.
The Volunteer Spirit Award was awarded to the students for their efforts to revitalize their communities. No doubt, Ishinomaki’s future leaders on whom the city’s revitalization relies on are growing. JEN continues to support these future leaders.
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