News
Messages from around the world for the Ishinomaki Technical High School Baseball Team
April 6, 2012
Messages of support for the Ishinomaki Technical High School competing in the national high school baseball championships!
Thank you so much for such warm support from around the world. Please see below for messages from the Ambassadors of Panama and Cuba to Japan, as well as former MLB player Bobby Valentine.
More messages and information is available in Japanese here
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His Excellency Mr Jorge Kosmas Sifaki, Ambassador of Panama to Japan
To the members of the Ishinomaki Technical High School Baseball Team,
Congratulations for your selection to the Koshien High School Baseball Championships!
In May of last year, I had the opportunity with my Embassy to visit and assist in relief efforts in Ishinomaki City, devastated by the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. Witnessing the severe situation there was heartwrenching for me. Your strong efforts to not give up and overcoming this adversity, and achieve selection to the Koshien Championship, and your deep team and friendship bonds, are giving energy and hope to the people affected by the disaster and to all people of Japan, and is providing real energy for recovery.
Baseball is a popular sport in Panama, and many children are practising every day with hopes and dreams to one day become baseball players. Although Panama is somewhat far from Japan, our two countries are connected by the sport of baseball.
The Ishinomaki Technical High School and your team provide a model for us all for “kizuna,” human connections and bonds. Panama is cheering all of you on from the bottom of our hearts, hoping for success in your efforts at Koshien!
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His Excellency Mr Jose Fernandez de Cossio, Ambassador of Cuba to Japan:
“The people of Cuba identify fully with the objectives of peace, human rights, sustainable and just development, and respect for the environment that Peace Boat has been promoting for more than 27 years. The frequent visits of thousands of Japanese people to Cuba have helped to nourish this sense of common purpose.
Baseball helps to bring the people of both countries closer.
Therefore, we very much encourage the annual Koshien Stadium Championship high school games, and send our best regards to Ishinomaki Industrial High school.”
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Bobby Valentine, Manager of the Boston Red Sox and former MLB player:
“Your participation in the tournament is an inspiration for everyone, both in the US and in Japan.
Please persevere and know that I am with you as are all of my friends in MLB.
Ganbatte and good luck!”
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TAGS: baseball • cuba • international volunteers • Ishinomaki • Japan • Koshien • Panama • Peace Boat • peaceboat • VolunteerDisaster Relief Volunteer Training Programme onboard Peace Boat
March 27, 2012
Disaster Relief Volunteer Training Programme onboard Peace Boat from Peace Boat on Vimeo.
Peace Boat conducts Disaster Relief Volunteer Training both in Japan (in Tokyo and the earthquake and tsunami affected areas of Ishinomaki, Miyagi) and onboard its ship throughout global voyages. This onboard programme not only equips participants with the knowledge and skills to volunteer in a disaster situation, but also gives them first hand experience of disaster mitigation and relief programmes around the world. This video shows the programme onboard and in Cuba during Peace Boat’s 75th Global Voyage, 2012.
TAGS: cuba • Disaster Relief • Peace Boat • peaceboat • training programmeOne year report – Peace Boat in Ishinomaki
March 11, 2012
Today marks the first anniversary since the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami of March 11, 2011.
Peace Boat’s disaster volunteer center extends our deepest sympathy to all those who were affected by the quake, and pledge to continue to work to support those communities.
As of today, the English language report on Peace Boat’s activities in Ishinomaki in 2011 is now available.
The Japanese report will be available in mid-March 2012.
We would like to extend our thanks to everyone who has contributed to our work over the past year.
We hope we can count on your support in the coming year as the people of Ishinomaki continue to work to rebuild their lives.
Download the report here: PBV_Ishinomaki-WEB (PDF, 1.6 MB)
March 7 Talk Event: Toward the second year of support after the Tohoku disaster
February 28, 2012
On March 7, President of the Peace Boat Disaster Relief Volunteer Center Yamamoto Takashi will hold a talk event. Now that a year has passed since the disaster, this will reflect upon the activities in Tohoku, Wakayama and Niigata, as well as considering how disaster relief support should be carried out in this second year.
Please see below for details, and reserve a place at the event here
Please note that this event is in Japanese only.
We are looking forward to your participation.
Towards the second-year support
- Only human beings can support human beings -
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It’s almost a year since the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami.
Places such as Ishinomaki City and Onagawa Town, where Peace Boat is playing an active role, have indeed progressed from the stage of “immediate emergency support”. However it will still take a long time to restore the industries and the citizens’ lives destroyed by the tsunami. Moreover, real recovery will need a common effort and vision. Although Peace Boat Disaster Relief Volunteer Center has been working active for a year as a “supporter from outside; outsiders”, we hope to work “together with the locals” from now.
In our new “Fishing experience programme,” we go beyond the original aim of helping to resume the fishing industry which is facing problems of labour and fund shortages, to promoting exchange between local fishermen and volunteers.
It is only human beings who can truly support and help other humans. Yamamoto Takashi, who has extensive experience in disaster relief both in Japan and abroad, will reflect upon the events of 2011, including the flood damage of the No.12 typhoon in Wakayama and snow shoveling volunteering in Niigata. He will also talk about his own goals for the coming second year of support for those affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami.
*Event summary
[Date] Wednesday, March 7, 2012, 19:00-20:30 (opens at 18:30)
[Place] At Peace Boat Disaster Relief Volunteer Center MAP
[Access] 7 minutes walk from Takadanobaba station (JR Yamanote, Metro Tozai, Seibu Shinjuku lines)
[Maximum Number of Participants] 60
[Entrance fee] free
[Language] Japanese
[Reservation] Peaceboat Disaster Relief Volunteer Center
Phone: 03-3363-7967
Online: Online reservation form
* Those who are unable to join in person can watch the Ustream broadcast of event live on the channel below.
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/peaceboat-live
YAMAMOTO Takashi (President, Peace Boat Disaster Relief Volunteer Center)
As an Executive Committee for NGO Peace Boat, Yamamoto has been coordinating Peace Boat’s Global Voyages which aim to promote peace through international exchange. He has been in charge of preparations for the global voyages, conducting field investigations with the local partner and affiliated organizations in more than 80 countries prior to the ship’s call at ports. His past disaster relief experience began in Japan, where he provided support following the Great Hanshin Earthquake in Kobe in 1995, which affected him personally, and the Niigata Earthquake. Yamamoto has also worked on the international stage, supporting the relief efforts for disasters such as in Turkey, Taiwan, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. At each disaster, he has always arrived on-site as early as possible to establish relief operations.
After the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake, he entered Ishinomaki City in Miyagi Prefecture on March 17, and since then he has been leading the disaster relief operations on-site with the cooperation of the local government and organizations.
News Updates
February 24, 2012
We are nearing the one year anniversary of the March 11 disasters. In this time, over 1,000 international volunteers from over 50 countries have come to Ishinomaki, together with over 10,000 Japanese volunteers, and provided much-needed assistance to survivors of the earthquake and tsunami. The city has made fantastic progress; shops are reopening, the fisheries and factories are restarting their operations. Ishinomaki still has a very long way to go before it has fully recovered, but with your continued support, the city can begin to flourish once more.
We would like to share with you some of our news from Ishinomaki, more information about our volunteer work and our plans for the one year anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami.
New Projects
Peace Boat is beginning some projects to deal with the evolving needs of the community in Ishinomaki. These projects are:
The Wakame Seaweed Project
Temporary Housing Support
The Newsletter Project
The Gardening Project
Shoveling Snow in Niigata
Extension of Volunteer Activities
Peace Boat will continue offering week-long volunteer trips for Japanese and non-Japanese speakers from April onwards. Please keep checking this website as information about dates and availability is regularly updated.
March 10 & 11, 2012 – Remembering the March 11 Disasters
On March 10 and 11, Peace Boat will be supporting an event taking place at Hibiya Park in Tokyo. The event Title is “Peace on Earth”, and it will take place between 11am and 7pm on a stage in front of the water fountain. The event is free, and will feature talks by guests, live music, an organic market, food stalls and stands for NGOs and NPOs. At 2.46pm, there will be a minute of silence in commemoration of the victims of the tsunami.
Also on March 11, there will be a candlelight vigil event at Tokyo Tower from 6.30pm to 8pm. This event will be a fundraising event, aimed at raising money for the people in Fukushima who have been affected by radiation, and for the survivors in Tohoku. The event will feature Taiko Drum performances by GoCoo. For more information on either event please visit: http://www.peaceonearth.jp/ (Japanese only).
No Volunteer Activity in Ishinomaki – March 11
Out of respect for the people of Ishinomaki, on March 11, 2012, Peace Boat will not be carrying out any volunteer activities in the city. Instead, we will be respectfully supporting the people of the town as they carry out their own memorial service for the disasters.
Peace Boat’s Blog – Call for Contributors
As the anniversary of the disaster approaches, we are asking people to share with us their experiences as disaster relief volunteers. The independent blog “Voices from the Ground” has been a fantastic resource for documenting the contributions of our international participants, and a great way of attracting new volunteers, who can see how important and rewarding the work can be. Please get in touch if you would like to contribute a written piece, or if you have time to be interviewed by our staff. To view the blog please go here.
New Facebook Page
Peace Boat’s Disaster Relief Volunteer Center has launched a new Facebook page. This new page is dedicated to giving information about our long-term projects and the work we are doing to support the people of Ishinomaki as they rebuild their community. The emergency phase is over but the work is only just beginning. Please click Like on our page to keep up to date on all our projects in Tohoku at: PBVsaigai.
New website launched by partner organization
A number of local NPOs have suffered the loss of workers and facilities, and they are finding it extremely difficult to continue their work. The organisation “Mori No Dengonban Yururu”, which aims to support NPOs who want to resume activities, launched a new website called “Fukko Miyagi” (“Miyagi reconstruction”). This website aims to collect funds to help local NPOs restart their activities. For more information, please visit their website (available in English):
http://www.fukkou-miyagi.jp/en/
PBV’s achievements between March – December, 2011
The image below shows the achievements of the Peace Boat Disaster Relief Volunteer Center (PBV)’s activities between March – December, 2011. Without the contribution of the volunteers, we would not have been able to achieve this and we are grateful for your support towards our activities!
We look forward to continuously working with you in the future!
TAGS: Disaster Relief • Earthquake • headquarters • international volunteers • Ishinomaki • Japan • Kanto-Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami • Peace Boat • peaceboat • Relief • Tokyo • Volunteers