Photo: Dee Green & Tracey Taylor, 37 Frames Photography

An NGO in Special Consultative Status with the Economic andSocial Council of the United Nations
Peace Boat US 501c3 registered non-profit organisation

GREAT EAST JAPAN EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMIOn March 11, 2011, Japan experienced an unprecedented disaster. At
2:46pm, a magnitude 9 earthquake struck at a depth of 24km, triggeringa catastrophic tsunami which laid waste to swathes of the Japanese coast.
433 sq km of land were inundated by a wave that reached 30 metres inheight, sweeping across cities, villages and farmland. In what is considered
to be Japan’s worst humanitarian disaster since WWII, over 20,000 people
were killed or registered missing, and around 500,000 more were displaced.
The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant was severely damaged during thedisaster, prompting a state of nuclear emergency caused by the worst
nuclear accident since Chernobyl.
The task of rebuilding is monumental and it cannot possibly be handled
by the survivors alone. It is crucial that homes be rebuilt and that local
industries are restarted, in order to restore livelihoods. This is a humanitariancrisis that stretches beyond borders and demands local, national andinternational help.
Photo: Yoshinori Ueno

MISSION STATEMENT
Peace Boat’s mission is to provide immediate emergency relief
and support for the long term social and economic recovery of
the Tohoku region, focusing on the city of Ishinomaki, Miyagi
Prefecture and its environs. Peace Boat works in consultationand partnership with the local communities, responding totheir situation and needs, enabling and empowering them in
the recovery process. Peace Boat has committed to work on
the relief and recovery efforts for at least two years.

Kouzan, Ishinomaki
Photo: Yoshinori Ueno

Peace Boat works through the deployment of well-trained
volunteers. Peace Boat believes that the extra hands ofvolunteers can support the physical regeneration of Tohoku,
and that the human solidarity they provide is a vital factor incomprehensive recovery efforts.

PEACE BOAT IN TOHOKU
Within a week of the March 11 Great East Japan Earthquake,
Peace Boat had established a presence in Ishinomaki, one of
the hardest hit towns in Tohoku. Peace Boat began emergency
programs to deal with the unprecedented disaster, deploying
hundreds of volunteers to provide hot meals, distribute relief
goods and clear mud.
In Ishinomaki, Peace Boat continues to work in close
collaboration with the local community, the authorities andother NPOs active in the region. Specifically, Peace Boat partners
with the local, prefectural and national governments; theSocial Welfare Council of Ishinomaki; the Ishinomaki Disaster
Recovery Assistance Council (IDRAC); the Mayor’s Office; andthe Japan Self Defense Force.

Map of the epicenter of the March 11 earthquake

PEACE BOAT Founded in 1983, Peace Boat is a Japan-based international non-governmental
IN DISASTER and non-profit organization that works to promote peace, human rights, equal andRELIEF sustainable development and respect for the environment. Peace Boat began its
disaster relief work following the Kobe earthquake of 1995, and since then has
provided disaster relief support in Japan and around the world. Following the Great
East Japan earthquake, Peace Boat set up the Peace Boat Relief Volunteer Center
PBV, to focus on emergency relief and long term support for the people of Tohoku.

PEACE BOAT: FIVE MONTHS IN ISHINOMAKIIn the period between March 17 - August 31, 2011 Peace Boat’s work in Ishinomaki and the surrounding
areas has achieved the following results:
VOLUNTEERS
6,695 volunteers, including 643 international volunteers from 48
countries, donated 34,251 days of labour (worth more than four
million USD)
HOT MEAL PROVISION
101,483 balanced, hot meals provided in 26 districts of Ishinomaki
including evacuation shelters and other areas where people wereliving in their damaged homes or cars.
RELIEF GOODS
1,780 tons of relief goods delivered to date, including an average of
10 tons per day in the first weeks of operation.
TSUNAMI MUD AND SMALL DEBRIS CLEARANCE
Peace Boat’s volunteers:• Cleared 1,200 homes, buildings, shops andsmall businesses of tsunami mud and debris• Cleared 50 other public buildings, including
schools, clinics and retirement homes• Cleared 65 km of streets and sewers• Took part in the clearance of 17,000 tonsof rotting fish in Ishinomaki
Photo: © 37 Frames Photography

Photo: © Yoshinori Ueno

Photo: © 37 Frames
Photography

In addition, Peace Boat has undertaken the following community-building activities:• Helped plan Children’s Festival celebration as a founding member of the Ishinomaki
Disaster Recovery Assistance Council• Organized and operated a youth soccer clinic• Launched the 1,000 Person Bath Project with JIM-NET, a project which provides bathingfacilities for the people of Ishinomaki• Supported the Kawabiraki festival celebrations
Peace Boat provided support in 60 evacuation shelters.
Peace Boat provided 3 temporary bathing facilities, which were used by 5,353 people.
Peace Boat volunteers disinfected and dried 7846 futons and blankets in 59 evacuation
centres.

SAVED BY A TREE
Mrs. Abe of Ishinomaki says it was an ancient persimmon tree she inheritedby her grandfather that saved her family and their home when a two-metre
tsunami roared through town on March 11. Nine cars were caught in its
branches, avoiding collision with the house. Tragically, only one of those cars’
passengers survived.
A group of Peace Boat volunteers helped Mrs. Abe remove the black tsunami
sludge from the house and from the soil surrounding the tree, and within weeks,
the tree had started to bloom. It continues to stand as a symbol of hope andrebirth and the strength Mrs. Abe says she needs to carry on. “This persimmontree protects our family,” Mrs. Abe says. “It is like a guardian spirit.” After thecatastrophe, Mrs Abe found the body of a primary school student in what wasleft of her greenhouse – a heart-wrenching moment she will never forget.

Mrs. Abe and Peace Boat volunteers

ONGOING PROJECTS(MID TERM)ONGOING PROJECTS(LONG TERM)

Peace Boat will continue to respond to community needs
as they change and evolve, implementing new projects
accordingly. As of July 1, 2011, the following projects had
been initiated and are ongoing:
CENTRAL KITCHEN PROJECT – ISHINOMAKI
Peace Boat helped refurbish and equip the largest izakaya
restaurant in Ishinomaki to cook hot food for some of the
20,000 displaced people. Once food provision is no longer
needed, the owners will be able to restart their business with
reduced additional investment.

Projects supporting the long term recovery ofTohoku are currently being discussed by Peace
Boat and our local partners. These projects have
two main focuses:

SHELTER SELF-SUFFICIENT KITCHENS SUPPORT SCHEME
Peace Boat has set up self-sufficient kitchen sets in evacuation
shelters in Miyagi Prefecture, aiming to improve the physicaland psychological health of evacuees.
TSUNAMI MUD & SMALL DEBRIS CLEARANCE
Many buildings have suffered severe water damage, withdeposits of several centimeters of sludge and debris. PeaceBoat dispatches volunteers to handle these tasks. This project
aims to allow people to return to their homes where they are
habitable, and set up their businesses as soon as possible.
ONAGAWA TEMPORARY HOUSING START-UP PACKS
For people who lost everything in the tsunami, the governmentis providing temporary housing. Peace Boat has committed
to providing the essential daily items, such as futons andcutlery, for 1,500 families moving out of shelters and into thenew accommodation.
FISHERIES SUPPORTThe fishing industry, which provides a livelihood for themajority of the population of this coastal area, was virtuallywiped out by the tsunami. Peace Boat volunteers are salvaging
and cleaning fishing equipment and clearing the port so thatthe primary industry of the region can begin again.

COMMUNITY REGENERATION
Peace Boat has been responding to the needs ofthe local community to encourage regeneration.
For example, Peace Boat, at the request of theParents’ and Teachers’ Association (PTA) andcitizens’ groups of Minamisoma, Fukushima
prefecture, took 49 students on board the Peace
Boat this summer to ensure that their evacuationfrom the town, situated only 25km from thedamaged Fukushima nuclear plant, was an an
actively positive experience. Peace Boat plansto undertake a variety of projects such as this as
long-term community rehabilitation becomes agreater priority.
PEACE BOAT’S LONG TERM VOLUNTEERPROJECTS:
It is a terrible but unavoidable fact that Japan isconstantly under threat from natural disasters. In
the aftermath of the March 11 tragedies, Peace
Boat believes it is of absolute importance thatthe lessons learned in this disaster are used tostrengthen and improve the existing disastermanagement framework. Therefore, the Peace
Boat Disaster Relief Volunteer Training Center willbe established in early October, and aims to trainthousands of people every year in disaster relief,safety and first aid. The aim is to both continue thepace of the current relief efforts and to ensure thatin the event of future disasters, there are individuals
who can lead teams of relief volunteers.

THE REOPENING OF THE MORIYA FRUITS SHOPThe Moriya Fruits shop

On April 13, Moriya Fruits shop, a family business founded in 1931, became the first shop inIshinomaki to reopen after the disaster. It took 45 volunteers weeks to remove the mud anddebris from the building and make the shop operable again. The biggest transformation,
however, was seen in the owner. After the tsunami destroyed the shop he had inheritedfrom his parents, he could see no future for himself. He described himself as ‘despondent’at the losses he had suffered and the enormity of the task in front of him.
That all changed once the Peace Boat volunteers got to work. ‘Seeing the efforts thevolunteers put into the clean-up operations acted as an impetus for us,’ the owner recalls.
‘We wanted to re-open our shop, and do it fast! With the road to recovery being so long,it seems that many people are succumbing to despondency now… therefore we felt it was
doubly important to re-open our shop as soon as possible.’ Peace Boat hopes this story will
inspire and motivate others in the community who might otherwise give in to despair.

PEACE BOAT AND CSR (CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY)
The triple disasters of March 11 have ushered in a new era in CSR in Japan. Many businesses are playing
a significant role following the disaster, through funding recovery initiatives or sending employees totake part in the relief efforts.
As of August 31, Peace Boat had received groups of volunteers from 45 different corporate groups, and ofthe 6,695 volunteers who came to Tohoku with Peace Boat, 1,460 were from corporate groups. Corporategroups who have sent volunteers include the BCCJ and ACCJ, IBM, AP Bank and PwC IAS. For a full listof supporters please see our website http://peaceboat.org/relief/about/supporters

The ACCJ volunteers in Tohoku

Photo: © 37 Frames Photography

Sakuma Ikuko, Tsunami survivor‘THEY GAVE ME THE COURAGE AND DRIVENOT TO GIVE UP’Ms Sakuma Ikuko is the 7th generation ofher family to own the Shinchinrou Izakaya
in Ishinomaki, which has been open since1855. However, Ms Sakuma’s experiencesin the tsunami made her reluctant to returnto her business. She has vivid memories of
the tsunami waves and the terrible screamsof people swept along by them. Ms Sakuma
rescued one person, who was miraculously able
to climb into the third floor of the building,where Ms Sakuma used the curtains fromthe restaurant as a makeshift blanket for thesurvivor. Even now, Ms Sakuma has nightmares
about the disaster. “A darkness was beginningto consume me and I didn’t think I could makeit through...’ she said, ‘but then, I saw the young
Peace Boat volunteers, with their boundlessenergy, partaking in sludge and debris removal.
They gave me courage and the drive not to giveup. That is what Peace Boat gave me.’The BCCJ volunteers in Tohoku

PEACE BOAT IN THE MEDIA

Peace Boat’s relief efforts have received significant coverage in both
the domestic and international media, including the BBC, the AsahiShimbun, AERA, and the Economist.
For more information, please visit :http://peaceboat.jp/relief/gallery/ (English) or
http://webaddress.com/ (Japanese).
For more information, please visit:
http://peaceboat.jp/relief/gallery/ (English) or
http://pbv.or.jp/ (Japanese).

PEACE BOAT DISASTER RELIEF VOLUNTEER SYSTEM
Peace Boat’s relief efforts centre on the deployment ofvolunteers. Peace Boat provides these volunteers withthe training and coordination to undertake projects in
Ishinomaki safely and efficiently, with sensitivity towards
local residents and their needs.
Peace Boat believes that the deployment of volunteers helps
advance both the physical regeneration of the disasterareas and the psychological recovery of survivors.

THE MEANING AND IMPACT OF VOLUNTEERS
volunteers have been crucial in the following ways:• SCALE OF WORK
Volunteers have made a tremendous difference in the number andspeed of tasks which have been accomplished.
• TYPE OF WORK
Human work has been crucial as most work could not have been
done by machines. For example, the tsunami mud includes precious
momentos of peoples’ former lives, such as photograph albums,family documents and toys, and can only be cleared by hand.
• ENCOURAGEMENT AND SOLIDARITYSurvivors have been encouraged by the constant presence and hard
work of volunteer teams. The volunteers are ordinary people, young
and old, Japanese and non-Japanese. Their presence shows that therest of the country and the rest of the world is standing in solidarity
with the survivors through this difficult time.
• HEALING FROM TRAUMA
Putting a traumatic experience into words is a crucial part of therecovery process for survivors. However many people who havebeen through this disaster feel unable to talk to their friends andneighbours, as everyone who lived through the disaster has suffered.
The volunteers (although they do not seek to “counsel” the survivors)
have become an important part of the psychological recovery of thesurvivors, as they provide a safe, neutral and natural audience forpeople to talk about their experiences as they work alongside eachother.
• OUTREACH - SHARING THE REALITY
The testimonies of volunteers who have returned from the disasterareas, whether by blog, social media or word-of-mouth, have helpedshape a greater understanding in Japan and beyond of the needs
and realities on the ground.

THE PEACE BOAT SYSTEM

Based on 28 years of experience of volunteer
operations, Peace Boat believes that volunteers
should be well-trained, self-sufficient andable to with sensitivity, safety and maximum
effectiveness, Peace Boat has developed andrefined a system for the recruitment, training
and deployment of volunteers as follows*:
1) ORIENTATION
All potential volunteers attend an orientation inwhich they are briefed on the reality of the disasterarea, safety and on the volunteer conditions andtasks. Volunteers are divided into small groups,
and “Group Leaders” are appointed.
2) TRAINING
Those volunteers assigned as “Group Leaders”
undergo a further intensive training session,
covering first aid, risk assessment andmanagement and leadership.
3) DEPLOYMENT
Volunteers work in closely supervised small
groups on clear tasks in the disaster zone whichmeet the needs and desired outcomes of thelocal people. Tasks are assigned on a daily basis,
with the strengths of the group being consideredduring assignment.
4) RETURN
Peace Boat operates a one-week dispatch system
to protect the mental and physical health of thevolunteers. Follow-up events are held in Tokyo
which past volunteers are encouraged to returnfor a further stint if they can, and/or to recruitothers to volunteer.
5) DEVELOPMENT
Peace Boat is working to provide training in“Volunteer Leadership” for those who have beenin the field, thus developing a body of welltrained leaders ready to respond to changing
needs in this, or other, disaster.
*Note: This process may be modified for corporate
or other group volunteers

As we grow to understand more about the benefit of the volunteers’presence, we are determined to continue volunteer dispatch to work on
the tasks requested by the community.
Recruitment: To volunteer with Peace Boat on the relief efforts please visit
http://peaceboat.jp/relief/volunteer/ for the latest information.
Volunteers at work

PEACE BOAT’S HISTORY IN DISASTER RELIEF
ABOUT PEACE BOAT
Founded in 1983, Peace Boat is an international non-governmental and non-profit organization
with Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.
The organization works to promote peace, human rights, equal and sustainable development
and respect for the environment through global educational programs, cooperative projects
and advocacy activities on global peace voyages. Our associate organization Peace Boat US isa 501(c)3 registered organization based in New York, and we have representatives in Europe,
Latin America, South Asia and the Middle East. In 2008, Peace Boat Director and Co-Founder
Yoshioka Tatsuya was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.

PEACE BOAT’S EXPERIENCE IN DISASTER RELIEF OPERATIONS
As part of our wider peace building activities, Peace Boat has carried out emergency relief
operations for the past 15 years, delivering emergency assistance and raising funds, as wellas coordinating the dispatch of experienced logisticians, interpreters and volunteer teams toaffected areas all over the world. Peace Boat’s first disaster relief efforts took place in 1995,
following the Great Hanshin Earthquake in Kobe, Japan when teams of volunteers provided
assistance for months supporting community access to food, water and other basic supplies aswell as humanitarian support. Since then, Peace Boat has organized emergency relief support
in disaster affected locations around the world, including in Turkey (Aug. 1999), Taiwan (Sept.
1999), Algeria (May. 2003), Mid-Niigata, Japan (Nov. 2004), Sri Lanka (Dec. 2004), Pakistan (Oct.
2005), in the US (Hurricane Katrina, Oct. 2005), Indonesia (Jun. 2006) and Korea (Aug. 2007).

SUPPORT PEACE BOAT’S EFFORTS

DONATE: Donations can be made directly to Japan, or through Paypal via Peace Boat US: Donate online or see bank/post officetransfer information at http://peaceboat.jp/relief/donate/
VOLUNTEER: Peace Boat is recruiting volunteers to assist with the relief work. Opportunities are also available for international
volunteers who do not speak Japanese. Please see http://peaceboat.jp/relief/volunteer/ for more information.
Peace Boat Partners

Contact Details
Relief Activities: http://peaceboat.org/relief/
Peace Boat General website:
http://www.peaceboat.org/english/

For a full and up to date list of our partners and corporate sponsors,please visit our website at http://peaceboat.jp/relief/about/supporters/

Email: relief@peaceboat.gr.jp
Tel: +81 -3-3363 8047 Fax: +81-3-3363-7562

Photographs: Yoshinori Ueno, Mitsutoshi Nakamura, Kazushi Kataoka, Kenji Chiga, Shoichi Suzuki, Jon Mitchell, 37 Frames Photography