UNITE FOR CHILDREN

Japan Earthquake & Tsunami Emergency Relief

Japan Earthquake & Tsunami Emergency Relief (74th report)
Traveling UNICEF photo exhibition highlights disaster relief activities

[TOKYO, Japan, 13 June 2011]

At 2:46 p.m. on Friday, 11 March, an earthquake of extraordinary scale shook north eastern Japan, sending strong tremors across the country, even as far as the UNICEF House in Tokyo. Later it was reported that this was an unprecedented 9.0-magnitude earthquake, the largest of its kind ever recorded in Japan. The most affected individuals in this type of disaster are always the children. On the day of the earthquake, the Japan Committee for UNICEF (JCU) posted a message on its website appealing to the importance of psychological care for children. The following morning the scale of the damage leftover by the earthquake and ensuing tsunami started to become more visible. After communicating with the UNICEF Headquarters, JCU began preparations to implement assistance with the cooperation of JCU prefectural chapters and co-op unions, as well as corporations and local cooperation organizations that have long assisted the activities of UNICEF. JCU continues to implement assistance while working together with UNICEF Headquarters, municipal governments in the affected areas, cooperation organizations, and other partners in order to restore normality to the lives of children as quickly as possible and ensure the best interests of children are considered in the reconstruction effort.

© Japan Committee for UNICEF

On 11 June, exactly three months after the disaster, the Great East Japan Earthquake UNICEF Photo Exhibition opened at the UNCIEF House in Tokyo. This exhibit introduces a portion of the assistance activities carried out by JCU in the two months after the disaster. In the future, the exhibit is scheduled to visit JCU associations in various prefectures within Japan (see below for schedule). The exhibition is scheduled to be on display at the UNICEF House in Tokyo until early July. Photo journalist Kenichi Shindo, who has recorded the situation in the disaster-stricken coastal region of Miyagi, Iwate and Fukushima Prefecture since the earthquake, offered his complete support for the planning, composition and production of this exhibition.

© Japan Committee for UNICEF

Since the onset of its assistance activities JCU has advocated the concept of “Build Back Better; reconstruct things into a new, better state, not simply to recover the past.” In order to put this concept into practice, JCU has joined hands with expert groups in Japan and has even begun to push the incorporation of a method of community building that facilitates easier child-rearing within the reconstruction plans of each area. Furthermore, JCU continues to utilize this opportunity to urge the central and local governments to further develop and implement policies that address problems related to children placed in socioeconomically vulnerable situations based on the standards stipulated in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the recommendations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child.

JCU will continue to implement unique assistance measures tailored to the needs of disaster victims, and especially children, until the work of UNICEF is no longer needed in the disaster area. We thank all of our donors for their heartfelt assistance and cooperation.

Schedule of the Great East Japan Earthquake UNICEF Photo Exhibition

DatesHostVenue
19 Jun. – 30 Jun.Ehime Association for UNICEFEhime CATV Otemachi Open Studio
28 Jun. – 4 Jul.Chiba Association for UNICEFSogo Gallery, basement of the Sogo Chiba location
16 Jul. – 30 Jul.Hyogo Association for UNICEF1F lobby, Consumer Co-operative Kobe
20 Jul. – 28 AugChiba Association for UNICEFMultipurpose Hall, Mother Farm
31 Jul.Iwate Association for UNICEFNahan Plaza
1 Aug. – 4 Aug.Iwate Association for UNICEFMyoenji Temple
5 Aug. – 7 Aug.Iwate Association for UNICEFArena 4F, Kenmin Plaza
18 Aug. – 23 Aug.Kanagawa Association for UNICEF
Hiratsuka Friendship Association
Hiratsuka Shimin Plaza
24 Aug. – 28 Aug.Hiroshima Association for UNICEFFormer Hiroshima Branch of the Bank of Japan
25 Sep.Kagawa Association for UNICEFAlpha Anabuki Hall (Kagawa Prefecture Kenmin Hall)
8 Oct. – 15 Oct.Saga Association for UNICEFSaga City Public Library
27 Nov.Hiroshima Association for UNICEFFormer Hiroshima Branch of the Bank of Japan
17 Dec.Miyazaki Association for UNICEFMiyazaki Economic Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Direct Sales Office

Current arrival status of relief supplies

Receiving
Prefecture
Type of Emergency
Supplies
Arrival
Date
Quantity Donating
Company
Comments
Miyagi Water 19 Mar. 12,288
bottles
VanaH Co., Ltd. Two-liter plastic bottles
Fukushima Water 22 Mar. 12,672
bottles
VanaH Co., Ltd. Two-liter plastic bottles
Miyagi Underwear for boys and girls 22 Mar. 200,000    
Iwate Underwear for boys and girls 23 Mar. 30,000    
Fukushima Water 23 Mar. 4,680
bottles
KIRIN MC DANONE WATERS Co., Ltd. Two-liter plastic bottles
Miyagi Children’s shoes 23 Mar. 10,000
pairs
   
Miyagi Children’s diapers 24 Mar. 80 packs P&G Japan  
Iwate Children’s underwear 24 Mar. 9,700    
Fukushima Water 24 Mar. 12,288
bottles
VanaH Co., Ltd. Two-liter plastic bottles
Iwate Shoes 26 Mar. 1,404 pairs Achilles Corporation  
Iwate Underwear for boys and girls 27 Mar. 28,266  
Iwate Boots 27 Mar. 7,462 pairs  
Iwate Wipes 28 Mar. 1,200 P&G Japan For babies
Miyagi Recreation kits
Early Childhood Development kits
2 Apr. 50 of each Procured from the UNICEF Supply Division
Iwate Recreation kits
Early Childhood Development kits
2 Apr. 50 of each Procured from the UNICEF Supply Division
Miyagi Book bags 6 Apr. 70 Nihon New Bag Chain
Iwate Book bags 6-7 Apr. 340 Seiban
Miyagi Schoolbags 8 Apr. 18,000 Procured from the UNICEF Supply Division
Iwate Schoolbags 8 Apr. 18,000 Procured from the UNICEF Supply Division
Miyagi Personal security buzzers (for crime prevention purposes) 8 Apr. 5,000
Iwate Personal security buzzers (for crime prevention purposes) 8 Apr. 5,000
Miyagi Minicar 8 Apr. 3 cars
Miyagi Nutritional supplements From early April 4,000 bottles
Fukushima Water 11 Apr. 1,536 bottles VanaH Co., Ltd. Two-liter plastic bottles
Miyagi Replenishments for recreation kits 12 Apr. 60 sets
Miyagi Miniature toy cars 12 Apr. Approx. 1,200 TAKARA TOMY
Sagamihara* Water 12 Apr. 12,288 bottles VanaH Co., Ltd. Two-liter plastic bottles
Miyagi Play mats 13 Apr. Two types; 80 of each type IKEA
Miyagi Drawing sets 13 Apr. 60 sets IKEA
Iwate Preschool-size chairs, tables and low tables 14 Apr. 75 chairs; 11 tables; 9 low tables Donated to preschools, primary schools, junior high schools and high schools in the disaster area as well as their new locations
Miyagi Mopeds 15 Apr. 5
Iwate Notebooks and stationery sets for primary and junior high school students 15. Apr. 16,700 sets
Miyagi 183 computers; 57 copiers and fax machines; 61 printers 18-21 Apr. Distributed to preschools, primary schools, junior high schools and high schools in the disaster area as well as their new locations
Fukushima Movable blackboards 21 Apr. 10
Fukushima Temporary toilets 22 Apr. 20
Iwate Geiger counters 28 Apr. 14 For schools in Soma City
Iwate Dressing room/ breastfeeding partition system 28 Apr. 21 sets
Saitama* Milk From late April Shelter in Futabamachi, Kazo City
Saitama* Yogurt From early May Danone Japan Shelter in Futabamachi, Kazo City
Iwate Color pencils (120 sets) and paint (240 sets) 13 May
Iwate Student lamps 14 May 15
Iwate Stationery sets 16 May 840 sets
Fukushima Lockers 16 May 22 sets For the Board of Education of Minamisoma City
Fukushima Computers 16 May 1 Ishikawa Town Board of Education
Miyagi 2 copiers; 2 computers; 2 printers May For Higashi-Matsushima Day-Care Center and Watari Day-Care Center
Iwate Water receiving tank, water purifier tank, water supply tank May construction May construction
Miyagi Solar-powered vaccine refrigerator 18 May
Fukushima Fans 30 May 112 Minamisoma City Board of Education
Fukushima Masks 30 May 100,000 Minamisoma City Board of Education

-Number of UNICEF Children’s Mini Libraries distributed: Approximately 130,000 books to over 650 locations (as of 6 June 2011).
-Number of children that have participated in the UNICEF “Let’s Play! The Outdoors Playtime Project” in Fukushima Prefecture: Approximately 5,600 (as of 26 May)

*Areas receiving disaster victims.

*In certain cases some supplies may be taken from prefectural supply storage warehouses and distributed to shelters and disaster sites in other prefectures.
As of 9:00 a.m. on 1 June 2011 (compiled by the Information and Public Affairs Division).