Appeal for material donations

April 26, 2011

Relief efforts are still in dire need of equipment, such as tents, buses, portable toilets etc…

The Peace Boat Relief Project in Ishinomaki is still going strong, and growing day by day. It has been more than a month since the disaster, and more than 1000 volunteers have been dispatched to Ishinomaki since the start of the efforts there. As of April 24, there were 320 Peace Boat volunteers in Ishinomaki helping with distributing hot meals, distributing relief goods and carrying out support work at the evacuation centres.

The Peace Boat base and sleeping quarters for all staff and volunteers are numerous tents set up on the campus of the Senshu University at Ishinomaki. Spring weather in Japan is highly changeable. On the night of April 19, Ishinomaki suffered from very heavy snowfall.  It came overnight, and very suddenly. Volunteers were woken up in the middle of the night to clear snow from the campus grounds. Yet a few days later, warm sunshine brought forth the full bloom of cherry blossoms.

Although the weather remains unpredictable, the removal of mud and debris must go on.
An area of Ishinomaki 1 to 2 kilometers from the coastline has been divided into zones. Peace Boat is coordinating with other NGOs and relief organizations based in Ishinomaki to appoint each group to certain zones to carry out the formidable task of mud and debris removal.  As Peace Boat deploys a large number of volunteers (currently averaging about 250 per week), we are now able to work on 20 buildings at a given time.

Although, the numbers may seem large, it is still merely a drop of water in the ocean. Damage is still extensive, and more helping hands are required.  In the coming weeks, Peace Boat will have to move its headquarters out of the Senshu University campus in the forthcoming weeks, and so preparation for a new base is now underway.  In order to establish this new base, large tents, portable toilets and vehicles to transport volunteers to and from the center of Ishinomaki are required by Peace Boat.

We are appealing to any individuals, groups, corporations or academic institutions that may be able to donate any of the above free of charge.  Please contact us for more information.