News
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.
International Volunteers for Earthquake Relief
April 24, 2011
ピースボートと共にする国際ボランティア地震支援
The devastation of the earthquake and the tsunami in Japan is still very apparent in all of the affected areas of Tohoku. Though much hard work is being done around the clock there is still months ahead to rebuild lives that took generations to build.
Many ex pats would like to actively help but feel unsure where to start. We’d like you to take this opportunity to network with the international community in Tokyo to find ways to help.
Following the success of the first International community Earthquake Relief event, Peace Boat will hold another event on Sunday the 24th April from 7pm to 9pm.
This English language only event is scheduled to indcude,
- An account of a volunteer’s experience in Ishinomaki with Peace Boat
- Recent photos and an account of the current state of Ishinomaki
- A brief talk on how to volunteer in Tokyo and Tohoku with Peace Boat
- A follow-up on ideas created at the previous event for fundraising in Japan and abroad.
Please kindly support the venue that has provided the space for us by buying a drink at the event. Shinjuku house will be preparing special meals for the evening and 10% of all proceeds go to emergency relief supplies for the Tohoku area.
Time: Sunday, April 24 · 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Location: Shinjuku House – Shinjuku 5-17-6, Nakata Building 2F
Directions: Here
Press Conference: April 18, 2011
April 12, 2011
Tokyo, April 12, 2011) The 72nd Peace Boat Global Voyage for Peace, which which left Japan on January 23, 2011, will return to the port of Yokohama on Monday April 18, 2011. The ship will return with funds that were collected by passengers during the Voyage in various ports of call around the world on behalf of those affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake during the Voyage, as well as with thousands of handmade items donated by former tsunami victims of India to the people of Japan, and donations from NGOs in the Philippines.
Nine Hibakusha, survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, who have been designated as Special Communicators for a World without Nuclear Weapons by the Japanese government, will also return with the ship. During the voyage, they worked with Tahitian former nuclear-test-site workers and Australian Aborigines protesting against uranium mining. They recognized themselves as Global Hibakusha victims of radiation of the nuclear age–and called for a nuclear-free world in the testimonies they shared with people in approximately 20 ports of call around the world. At the press conference detailed below, Peace Boat will give a summary of the activities and outcomes of the 72nd Voyage. The Hibakusha will also speak about their achievements and perspectives after speaking at the UN in Geneva, participating in a nuclear-free conference for experts in the Middle East, and learning of the Fukushima nuclear crisis while away from home.
Date and Time:
Monday, April 18, 2011
Ship’s ETA 1200hrs
- photo opportunity for ship’s arrival into port from 1130hrs
- ship will enter port with large banner of messages to support quake sufferers
Press conference to start from 1400hrs (Passenger Terminal Meeting Room)
Venue:
Yokohama Osanbashi International Passenger Terminal
In attendance:
Yoshioka Tatsuya, Director of Peace Boat
9 Hibakusha Participating in Peace Boat’s 74th Global Voyage for a Nuclear-Free World, and others Contact on the day of Press Conference: 090-9145-2864 (Watanabe Rika)
Note:
Passengers are scheduled to disembark the ship from 1300hrs. Persons interested in taking photographs/videos of disembarking passengers at the gangway must apply for permission beforehand to terminal authorities.
Please contact Rei Ueno of Peace Boat (see contact details above) by 12noon on Friday, April 15, 2011 regarding this permission if interested.
Voices from the Ground
April 9, 2011
On March 11, 2011 people in Japan and around the world watched horrifying scenes of giant waves engulfing towns along the coast of the Kanto and Tohoku regions of Japan just minutes after a 9.0 magnitude earthquake struck the country. In many cases, only vast empty swathes of mud or giant, senseless jumbles of debris were left where ordinary people once lived and farmed. To date, more than 420,000 people in Japan today remain displaced, and approximately 27,000 are dead or missing. The force of the disasters was tremendous, but the response to them from the international community and of people from other regions of Japan has also been extraordinary. When Peace Boat launched the Japan Tohoko-Kanto Emergency Relief Project and called for volunteers, offers for help began pouring in from inside and outside the country. Since March 16, Peace Boat has been teams to the city of Ishinomaki in Miyagi Prefecture, including groups of volunteers who on a weekly rotational basis to help deliver and distribute aid, improve the environment of the 170 impromptu evacuation centres in the devastated city, and to provide hundreds of hot, nutritious meals per day to people both in these centres and those living in semi-destroyed homes or cars. Peace Boat has now established a blog, “Voices From the Ground” to provide firsthand accounts from those volunteering in Ishinomaki with Peace Boat’s emergency relief effort. We hope it will serve as an invaluable window not only into the project, but also into the experiences of volunteers as they help to provide emergency support and to rebuild the lives and community of the people of Ishinomaki. Read these first hand experiences “Voices from the Ground“
Public Event on April 3 – Volunteers for Earthquake Relief
April 3, 2011
The recent devastation of the earthquake in the Tohoku area has left many in the international community feeling uncertain and helpless about what to do.
Peace Boat would like to offer the international community an opportunity to learn about daily and weekly volunteer work with Peace Boat in Tokyo and in the Tohoku area, and also brainstorm about long-term fundraising efforts for the people of Tohoku.
This English-language event is to take place from 7pm to 9pm on Sunday, April 3 at Ulala Café (reasonably priced hot and cold drinks, snacks and light meals), near Shibakouen Station in Tokyo and will include the following:
- An account of a volunteer’s experience in Ishinomaki with Peace Boat
- Recent video footage and photos of the first volunteer group in Ishinomaki
- A brief talk on volunteer work in Tokyo with Peace Boat
- An idea-generating session for fundraising in Japan and abroad.