Implementing Agency: The Japan Committee for UNICEF
Major Cooperation Agencies and Organizations:
UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund); prefectural committees for UNICEF; local governments of disaster hit areas (Disaster Management Offices, Boards of Education, etc.); consumer cooperatives in disaster hit prefectures; joint associations and other UNICEF partners; corporations; expert groups in Japan; communities in disaster hit areas; citizens’ groups; and volunteers.
Total revised amount of donations:
2.5 billion yen, of which 462,961,239 has been distributed
(The total amount of donations received until present including other Japanese committees is 2.326 billion yen)
On 14 March 2011, the Japan Committee for UNICEF (JCU) launched the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Emergency Relief campaign. At the same time, utilizing 100 million yen taken from domestic business funds to fund initial activities, JCU gained the cooperation of municipal governments in the disaster area, co-ops, partner organizations and others to provide contributions made by partner corporations as well as drinking water, children’s underwear and other emergency relief supplies made available by partners to disaster victims Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima Prefectures, as well as other areas. In addition, in parallel with these activities, JCU worked together with domestic expert groups in: 1) implementing medical and nutritional assistance for pregnant and breastfeeding women and infants; 2) enriching psychological care for children victim to the disaster; and 3) providing educational assistance (the “Back to School” campaign) that included supplying school goods to primary and junior high school students beginning their new school years.
Basic assistance policy, current situation and budget allocation plan*
(*This plan may change due to local government needs in the disaster area.)
Reconstruction activities have gradually started in the disaster area; however, local governments, which have also suffered from the disaster, have yet to restore their normal functions.
In light of this situation, JCU will continue to provide assistance for restoring government service functions in the disaster area in the three areas of: 1) educational assistance to children; 2) health and nutritional assistance for mothers and infants; and 3) child protection. At the same time, JCU will implement direct assistance activities, striving to ensure that the situation of children in the disaster area improves to a point that is better than before the disaster.
1) Provision of emergency relief supplies (gradually downsizing)
In cooperation and collaboration with Disaster Management Offices in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima Prefectures and other partner organizations, since launching emergency relief activities on 14 March JCU has provided relief supplies, such as mineral water, children’s underwear, clothing and shoes, greatly needed by disaster victims (including victims evacuated to outside of these prefectures). Many of these relief supplies were donated by partner corporations. Furthermore, numerous corporations cooperated in promptly securing and procuring these supplies for low prices and ensuring means of transport amidst the confusion following the earthquake, while on-site assistance from co-ops also allowed for ensuring the swift transport of supplies to shelters. JCU would like to again extend its heartfelt gratitude to all parties involved in this process.
Forecasted expenditures (until 30 September): 75,000,000 yen
(Amount distributed as of 8 June: 74,088,493 yen)
2)Educational support: Back to School campaign
To ensure children in Miyagi and Iwate Prefectures the opportunity to return to schools, which are starting their new school years, JCU has provided school supplies, including the initial necessary stationery for over 200,000 children (2,000 yen/set), equipment needed by teachers including computers and printers, and other furnishings needed to restart school activities such as desks and chairs. These supplies have been provided to over 100 primary and junior high schools in Miyagi and Iwate Prefectures. Moreover, as a second part of the campaign, JCU is making preparations with local boards of education and teachers unions to be able to speedily provide approximately 15,000 primary and junior high school students in disaster areas (including Fukushima) with packages of gym cloths, clay, calligraphy sets and other school supplies in accordance with their individual school needs (approximately 10,000-20,000 yen per package).
JCU is also implementing the Back to Kindergarten campaign in order to support the restart of activities at kindergartens, preschools, daycare centers, afterschool programs and other facilities where assistance has been particularly limited compared to primary, junior high and high schools. Moreover, in addition to responding to individual needs by supplying dishware, furniture and educational toys, JCU has also started assistance for the restoration and reconstruction of a total of 12 Child Friendly Kindergartens and Child Friendly Preschools in order to offer an environment and facilities where children can live in comfort. These facilities are to be a model for the community.
Forecasted expenditures (until 30 September): 1,100,000,000 yen
(Amount distributed as of 8 June: 153,320,451 yen)
3) Assistance to improve child nutrition
In order to ameliorate the nutritional problems faced by children in the disaster area, JCU has worked together with the Japan Dietetic Association in Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima Prefectures to provide meals at shelters using vitamin-enriched rice. JCU plans to expand these efforts to temporary housing as well in the future. Moreover, JCU will continue to implement assistance emphasizing prevention so that no problems arise as a result of nutritional inequity among children or another related cause, through such measures as supporting nutritional surveys, ensuring that school lunches are restored in their entirety at preschools and kindergartens, and restoring school lunch centers.
Budget: 60,000,000 yen
(Amount distributed as of 8 June: 28,769,036 yen)
4) Health and nutrition assistance for mothers and infantst
JCU provided technical assistance to the Disaster Relief Headquarters of Miyagi and Iwate Prefectures as well as 35 vehicles to implement mobile medical assistance to hospitals, clinics and healthcare centers in the area. In regions with medical facilities and systems that suffered particularly devastating damage, JCU is working together with Japanese expert groups to ensure that maternity medical checkups, including the promotion of breastfeeding, and vaccinations for children are implemented as regularly as possible. JCU has also established a referral system for mothers and infants that require advanced medical assistance. Under this system more than 20 doctors, nurses and other medical staff conduct activities in Miyagi, Iwate and Fukushima Prefectures during normal times.
Budget: 200,000,000
(Amount distributed as of 8 June: 152,224,573 yen)
5) Psychological care and protection for children
UNICEF Children’s Mini Libraries constructed using picture books, children’s books and kami shibai (Japanese picture card stories) donated from people all over Japan are being provided to facilities where psychological care is being extended to children. The books were separated and packaged by volunteers from Tokyo and Kanagawa, and until date approximately 127,000 books have been sent to about 600 shelters, kindergartens, preschools and other locations. In Kesennuma City, Miyagi Prefecture, these libraries were delivered to all public primary schools and kindergartens. In Onagawa Town, also in Miyagi Prefecture, a donation of approximately 8,000 picture books from the UNCIEF Children’s Mini Library project allowed the town to completed its public picture book library the “Chakkoi Picture Book Library”, a project that had been put on hold because of the disaster. JCU has also received many requests from facilities in Fukushima Prefecture, where restrictions have been placed on what children can do outside. Moreover, in addition to areas that have been directly damaged, such as Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima Prefectures, JCU has also received requests from facilities in prefectures and regions that are receiving evacuees from disaster areas, and is working to deliver books to those facilities.
In order to promote psychological assistance for children, JCU has distributed Early Childhood Development Kits and recreation kits and established Child Friendly Spaces in the disaster area with the cooperation of education and welfare officials, citizens’ groups and local volunteers from various regions. We have created opportunities for children to play and engage in sports—which can be considered the “job” of children—while also providing training related to the use of “play” to implement psychological care to volunteers, mothers and fathers. Thus far JCU has held training for over 200 people in Iwate and Miyagi Prefectures. JCU is currently carrying out trainer coaching so as to increase the opportunities for training, and is creating and distributing flyers that pull together the key points of psychological care. Moreover, in Fukushima Prefecture JCU plans to work with the Fukushima Society of Clinical Psychologists in implementing comprehensive counseling support to assist children that are not yet school age and their guardians.
JCU implements activities from a long-term assistance perspective by expanding on its comprehensive forms of social protection for children that have lost their parents as a result of the disaster, children that had faced financial difficulties from before the disaster, and children with disabilities (e.g., strengthening foster care structures, enriching guardian systems for underage children, etc.) as well as preventing child abuse.
Budget: 150,000,000
(Amount distributed as of 8 June: 47,172,342 yen)
A financial report for the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Emergency Relief campaign separate from regular UNICEF fundraising will be provided on this website. JCU plans to boost the transparency of this report with the cooperation of the Japan Institute of Certified Public Accountants.