Message de Dominique Leguillier, directeur de l'ONG KnK Japon Enfants sans frontière:
Tokyo, 2nd September 2011
Dear Madam, Dear Sir,
Almost 6 months after the “Great Tohoku earthquake and tsunami”, here is a short report concerning our activities in Iwate.
General situation
If central parts of cities and around main roads are “clean”, removing debris in many other places are still on-going. We have seen during our last visit in August places where authorities believe there is still missing bodies. We also met people complaining that they were “forgotten”.
Mountains of debris in many places. It seems that in some cities, like Kamaishi, the building of “kasetsu” (temporary shelters) is finished. In Yamada city, electrical poles have been installed. In the middle of the “ghoast” city, in a temporary shelter, a small restaurant re-opened.
In Kamaishi harbor, boats are unloading fishes. In the same city 2 hotels re-opened in July, with minimum confort. In Otsuchi a huge “temporary school” is almost completed, for an opening in September, to welcome students from 6 devastated schools in the area (4 of our buses will do rotations to bring the children).
In no place we have seen any building under construction. Plans for reconstructions are still on-going. Yamada City Office told us that these plans might be ready in September.
Since our last message (July 7th), staff from Tokyo visited Iwate 6 times.
Two staff are working full time in Iwate since June, based in Morioka until August, they are now based in Kamaishi.
A. KnK activities, March to September 2011
The first part of our activities will be finished by mid-September.
(Activity Report is now under process for release by the end of September).
We did distribute uniforms, sports wears and sports material, educational materials for students and for teachers, provide 22 school buses and 9 cars, renovate teachers’ accomodations and facilities for school, support outings and personal needs.
Almost 400 millions yens were spent (or engaged) during this first phase.
Thanks to all of you!
We are now preparing the “matching” between donors and expenses.
B. On-going activities, August 2011 to December 2012, and more...
KnK is now working on 4 projects, to be implemented in the following weeks and months.
1) Supporting Educational Departments, schools, teachers and youth,
We believe we became a faithful partner for the cities and people we are working with since last March.
So far, and with the generous support of all our donors, we have been able to say “yes” to all demands. We wish to keep it this way for the next coming months. As we already said, winter might be tough in Iwate. We shall still respond positively to all requests concerning education and/or children and youth.
We keep an envelop of 25 millions yens for that matter.
2) Renovation and management of the Kamaishi Community and Youth Center,
Last June, in the central part of the devastated city of Kamaishi we found that Community Center. The wave came up to 4m, breaking walls and windows, destroying flooring, electricity, water and gas installations, washing away all furnitures, files, books from library, material and toys from the Kindergarden and from the center for handicaped youth.
As we knew that we cannot start rebuilding before many months we proposed the City to renovate that Center.
A final agreement came up this last Tueday 30th August, with a firm request from the City.
First cost estimation comes to 192 millions yens. We shall now check to confirm that estimation.
As soon as confirmed, renovation will start. A “grand openning” could be scheduled for February 2012 (we shall do our best to get that “opening” done before March 11th, 2012).
We are now finalizing our partnership with “L’Occitane en Provence” who showed its high interest in that project since last June.
Furthermore the City kindly request KnK to assume the management of the Center, at least until it will be able to take it over. We are working on a project that might last until December 2012, and if possible and necessary, until 2013.
3) Psycho care program,
In so many places everything, every building were destroyed. Nothing can be renovated.
No place for meeting, for playing or for studying.
In such places like Rikuzentakata, and after meetings with our local partners, we came with the idea of having “mobile units” dispatched in schools and “kasetsu”.
We bought our two first bus (29 seats) in August. All seats are removed and in September, following our design, a local company will create our “mobile youth centers”.
These two buses will allow children and youth to study, meet, participate in our projects “Yujo no Reporter” (Reporter for Friendship) and “Yujo no Library”, play, talk and be listened, rest, and hopefully, dream.
Two Social workers, assisted by four “arubeit” (part-time workers) and one Logistic officer will start working next October 2011 on that program, until at least following August 2012, in different schools and “kasetsu” in Rikuzentakata.
If other cities, schools, social workers, children or teachers show their interest in that project, KnK will be able to allocate 2 or more buses in other places in Iwate.
This project is supported by the newly created Foundation by Mr Son (Soft Bank).
4) Building the Yamada-Tanohama Community and Youth Center
No building can start before plans are done. Government, Prefectures and Cities are still working on these plans.
But...
Last June, after one of our meetings with the Mayor of Yamada City, we renew our proposal: “as soon as you are ready, KnK is willing to support re-building...”.
Last August 23rd at a meeting hold at Yamada City Office, KnK was kindly requested to support the building of the Yamada-Tanohama Community Center.
That small city, in a peninsula just south of Central Yamada was by 2/3 destroyed. The Community Center was completely washed away. By chance people there were able to escape (still, the city lost hundreds of people...).
We shall rebuilt a new Center, above the part of the city that was not destroyed, on a new land.
We now launch the process to buy the land and to prepare it. Architect plans should be done by next February. Building could start in March, for up to 9 months.
Within 2012, a new Community Center will reopen in Yamada-Tanohama City.
It will welcome children and youth after school, elderly people, workshops on desaster prevention, “cooking lessons”, sports, events, “matsuris” preparation, etc. It will welcome meetings for the community, including the fishermen who also lost their center. It will be used as shelter, in case...
Financial support :
a) to start the process Saint Gobain did accept to input 45 millions yens remaining from its generous donation (100 millions yens in March 2011)(furthermore Saint Gobain will provide some material for free!),
b) Our intention is to input part of donations coming from all our donors (a reason why we kept a small amount from each, as “reserve”). It will come up to 30 to 35 millions yens,
c) We are now launching the research for other supporters. Do not hesitate to join !
Total estimation cost is 200 millions yens (minimum estimated and requested by the City) to 300 millions yens (more reasonable estimation, following our experience and different advices).
C. Some news in brief...
- Yamada City also requested KnK to provide 1.000 cherry trees (“sakura trees”) to be planted in six parks in and close to the city. In memory of all who disappeared... Our President, Mrs Terada, will support that operation. All our team will be there this Autumn.
- We are proposing the same operation to Kamaishi City. “L’Occitane en Provence” will be kindly asked to support that operation.
- “We love Japan, 100 masks for Japan”. France. 70 artists, fashion designers, designers, made 100 masks. Exhibition 20th and 21st September. Auction at “Arts Décoratifs de Paris” (rue de Rivoli, in the Louvre building), 21st September. Benefits goes to people of Japan in the desaster area, thru KnK. Thanks to the NGO “Asia Mix Culture and Minimix”,
- Two young reporters from “Yujo no Reporter” (reporter for friendship), one girl from Kamaishi, one from Ofunato, just came back from France. They participate in the camp organized by the Secours Populaire Français (SPF is one of our first supporter in our operation in Iwate). They did visit the city of Digne-les-Bains in south France. (Digne-les-Bains is “Sister City” with Kamaishi City) and “L’Occitane en Provence” in Manosque. They met the Japanese Consul from Marseille and the Japanese –French Association in Aix-en-Provence.
- From the donations made by the Theatre du Rond Point des Champs-Elysées (Paris, concert of 11th April) and from Jo Hisaishi’s concert (Paris, 22nd June) we are buying arts and musical instruments.
Short story : A young girl from Kamaishi, who lost her family and her house, now living in a kasetsu...She used to play piano, but, no more piano, and impossible to play piano in a kasetsu, as it is too “noisy”... We shall give her (early September) an electrical piano (with earphones).
Thank you Mr Jo Hisaishi and Mr Jean-Michel Ribes! (we shall also provide a normal piano at the Kamaishi Community Center, next February).
- Please check in the following days our new website : www.knk-iwate.jp
Last words
Many people, associations, institutions and companies, from Japan, and all over the world, joined their effort to bring help and support to the victims of the “Great Tohoku earthquake and tsunami”.
We wish to thank everyone, and of course more especially the one who helped us to help Iwate’s people.
Distribution, renovation, psycho-care programs, building...
We still have a few things to do...If you wish to keep helping us, you are much welcome, and we still need support, as you may understand...
Many people also asked us if they could participate in our actions. That was not that easy, as our partners are not the children themselves, but their teachers, the Educational Departments and Cities officers.
A Community Center will re-open in February in Kamaishi City, another one late 2012 in Yamada City.
Companies could help us to organize “Professional workshops”. Musicians, painters, artists, individuals could help us to organize events.
We probably already told you in our last messages, KnK might stay in Iwate for a few months more...
Thanks to you.
Faithfully,
For KnK team,
Dominique
