March Volunteers WANTED!
February 23rd, 2012
Dear International Students,
We have new mission (Batch 26 and 27) dates for March to go to Ishinomaki and Kesennuma and Tohno.
Please read the text below carefully before applying.
Project by: Gakuvo part of the ROAD Project of the Nippon Foundation
International Student support: Nikkei Youth Network
Mission 26 & 27
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What you will do: Cleaning houses and prefabricated homes, removing dirt, helping out in local events, etc.
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Batch 26: March 9th – 12th (Ishinomaki, Tohno or Kesennuma)
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Batch 27: March 15th – 19th (Ishinomaki, Tohno or Kesennuma)
Orientation time:
Batch26: March 9th – 11am
Batch27: March 15th – 11am
(volunteers who don’t make it by 11am will not be able to go)
Although we cannot guarantee that you can go to the location that you want, choose where you would like to go on the registration form.
■Volunteer Schedule Sample
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Departure day 11:00 11:30 13:30 20:00 23:00 |
Meet at the Nippon Foundation Building Address: Akasaka 1-2-2, Minato-ku, Tokyo(closest station: Tameikesanno) : Closest station: They know Tameike, Ginza Line. Volunteer Orientation OBLIGATORY Depart to Kesennuma or Ishinomaki(stops in the service areas) Arrival to lodging site, group orientation Lights off |
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Working days 06:30 07:00 08:00 12:00 13:00 16:00 18:00 23:00 |
Meeting time: (Breakfast should be taken beforehand) Depart to working site Arrival, work time starts Lunch work time Work ends , cleanup, mobilize to lodging site Dinner, meeting about the day’s work Lights off |
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Returning day 07:30 08:00 13:00 20:00 |
Breakfast, meetup Work time, Lodging cleanup, visit to the disaster area Departure Arrival to the Nippon Foundation bldg. Receive the volunteer diploma, mission ends. |
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Lodging The Nippon Foundation Student Volunteer center will provide you with lodging so YOU DON’T NEED A TENT |
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Kesennuma |
2nd Floor in a Family House We will use an ofuro from a nearby Minshuku (guest house) |
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Ishinomaki |
Lodging near the city center (to be confirmed) |
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■ IS Volunteer Rules: ・You can only smoke in designated areas ・Alcohol beverages are prohibited ・No going out during the night（curfew is 9pm） ・Please take proper rest and salt. ・Many things that we remove or clean on site are things with precious memories for the victims. Handle them with consideration.
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■ Applicability
You must meet the conditions below to be part of this project
- Be physically and mentally healthy to do hard physical work
- Be ate least 20 years old
- Be able to think on the affected people’s viewpoint and act accordingly
- Have a strong consciousness of being a disaster relief volunteer
- Be able to obey the rules of the lodging and the mission
- Be able to bring all the things written below
- Be able to withstand NOT showering for a day or two needed
- Be able to come to the Nippon Foundation Bldg. at 11am on the departure date
■ Things to Bring
・Sleeping bag
・Food for 3 days
(example: instant noodles, snacks, instant curry, coffee cans, etc.)
We recommend the following things to bring as food
Yamazaki Bread Company is donating for mornings and evenings.
1. Cup noodles x 5
2. Calorie Mate x 4
3. Chocolate bar x 4
4. Energy Drink x 4 cans
5. Salty snacks (your body will be needing salt) Ex. Umeboshi
6. Instant coffee and sugar sticks
※There is hot water, but it takes time to boil
※There is tap water but no bottled beverages.
・Sleeping bag
・1 roll of toilet paper（for the toilet and also for runny nose）
・Masks (preferably the three-dimensional type)
・Long waterproof boots
・Rubber and cotton gloves
・Waist porch
・Plastic raincoat
・Working clothes (ex: windbreaker)
・Long sleeve shirts (to prevent scratches, sunburns, bacteria)
・Lantern
・Goggles or sunglasses （if possible）
・Hat or bandana
・Copy of your insurance (hokensho)
・Your Gaikokujin Toroku Card
・Clothing for 3 days (it is cold so try to bring many shirts and underwear.
・Hokkairo (hot bags sold in convenience stores)
・basic medicine kit (cough drops, medicine for your stomach, aspirin, etc.)
・1400yen volunteer insurance fee
・Helmets will be provided
■ Advice from a volunteer:
1. If you take photographs, do not do it as you would normally do, making the peace sign, or smiling too much. This is a disaster area and not a tourist place. Also, your main work is to help clean up the place, so only take photos on break times and not during work.
2. Try to exercise on these few days before going, it is hard work and you could have muscle pains if your body is not used to it. A support belt for your waist is very helpful and could impede you from straining your back.
3. These are all advices for things that you can take, but the most important preparation that you can have is a mental and emotional one. Seeing all the disaster will make you feel impotent at the mass destruction that has happened, but remember that you are part of a big movement of people who will keep on restoring Japan. I am still hurt and moved by all that I saw on the week that I was in Ishinomaki and sometimes have nightmares about it, but it was an experience that made me think more about life and humanity, nature and science, life and death. I hope that you as volunteers support the people of the Tohoku region and at the same time learn from what you see and think deeply about it.
■ How to Apply:
◆Reports of previous IS Volunteer missions!
- Jay Horinouchi: Road Project: Mission #4 (May 3rd-7th)
- Lydia Humenycky: Rolling up Sleeves, the Japanese way (May3rd-7th)
- David Labi Anchor by Anchor (May3rd-7th)
- Christian Zevallos Voluntarios que levantan escombros y el animo (May3rd-7th)
- Nicolas Ballesteros SER en la zona devastada por el tsunami en Japon (May3rd-7th)
- Mark Flanigan It’s the end of the world as we know it…and I feel fine? (May3rd-7th)
- Mark Flanigan Mark’s Volunteer Report on AERA English (May 3rd – 7th)
- Raul Paucar A Peruvian and his expericence in Ishinomaki (July 8th – July 11th)
Follow the newest information on the IS Volunteer fanpage!
http://facebook.com/isvolunteers
CONTACT
Gakuvo (Japanese)
TEL：03-6206-1529（火～土 10:00-18：00）
gakuvo.info【a】gmail.com
Nikkei Youth Network Contact (English)
TEL:03-6427-6988 (10:00~18:00)
info【a】nikkeiyouth.com
This looks like a great project! I hope to get involved.