Emergency Response

Evacuation

Temporary Housing

Recovery and Reconstruction

Preparedness

Integrating Gender and Diversity Perspectives into Disaster Response

The Support We Wanted!

東日本大震災女性支援ネットワーク
Women’s Network for East Japan Disaster (Rise Together)

http://risetogetherjp.org

A Collection of Good Practicein Disaster Response
based on the East Japan Disaster

Gender and Diversity Sensitivity Check List
Based on “The Sphere Project”

April, 2013
Published by The Women’s Network for East Japan Disaster
Mailing Address : 1-7-8, Mukogaoka, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo,
113-0023, JAPANTEL : +81-(0)3-3830-5285
E-mail : office@risetogetherjp.org twitter : @risetogetherjp

This booklet was published with financial assistance from
Oxfam Japan and the Philip Morris International.

東日本大震災女性支援ネットワーク
Women’s Network for East Japan Disaster (Rise Together)

Foreword for English version
Each affected person has different needs.
They might be categorized as “affected
people” as a whole; however, the assistanceneeded differs depending on gender, sexual
identity, age, disability, nationality, mothertongue, family structure and employment
status, and so on. Yet, considering genderand diversity issues have been longoverlooked in disaster response in Japan.
They have received little attention because ofa lack of understanding of how each person
can be affected differently, and what actually
can be done in response to their diverse
needs. The link between affected people’svulnerability and risk to disaster has not been
seriously considered.

issues in disaster, and generate more interest
and commitment to inclusive disaster
response, recovery and preparedness.

In order to increase the understanding ofgender and diversity issues in disaster
response, the Women’s Network for East
Japan Disaster has facilitated the compilationof “Integrating Gender and Diversity
Perspectives into Disaster Response; The
Support We Wanted!”. The compilation isbased on the many contributions from localorganizations and voluntary disasterassistance organizations which operated in
the affected areas. In some cases,
contributors were asked to fill in aquestionnaire. In other cases, we directlyinterviewed disaster response workers andrelevant volunteers.
This publication aims to trigger more action
towards inclusive disaster response andrecovery. It highlights the fact that in paying
respect to the diversity of people, thesuffering of affected people will be reduced
and disaster assistance can be more effective.
It also underlines the importance of involving
the participation of women and othervulnerable groups in decision-making
concerning the disaster response andrecovery process.
We hope this publication will help improve thecurrent understanding of gender and diversity
3

Introduction
The Women’s Network for East Japan
Disaster is an organization, which haspromoted the human rights of vulnerable
people, particularly women, in the recovery
and reconstruction process, and disasterprevention strategies, paying attention to thediversity of disaster-affected people.
Each affected person has different needs.
They might be categorized as “affected
people” as a whole; however, the assistanceneeded differs depending on gender, sexual
identity, age, disability, nationality, mothertongue, family structure and employment
status, and so on. When we asked, “Do you
provide assistance considering differingneeds?”, the disaster response workers weinterviewed often replied, “We can’t do it
because we do not have any experts.” Many
people think supporting women is only
undertaken by women’s groups, andsupporting the disabled by disability
organizations. However, is it true that only
expert organizations are able to respond tothese diverse needs?
If groups with expertise of a particular field
exist in the affected area, it is possible toleave it on them; however, not every place hassuch organizations. Moreover, it is notexpected that such organizations work
properly in the unusual circumstances ofdisaster.
It is community-based organizations, local
governments and voluntary organizations thatstart emergency response operation first andcontinue to work in the field for a long timeafter the recovery period. It is important thateveryone be able to provide diversity-sensitive
support rather than wait for specialist
organizations.
“Integrating Gender and Diversity
Perspectives into Disaster Response; The
Support We Wanted!” collects examples ofdisaster response activities undertaken by
4

Glossaries and Application of this collection
various organizations in, and after, the East
Japan Disaster. It aims to provide advice forpeople without expertise to be able to provide
effective assistance to each affected personwith better consideration of diverse needs,
and for disaster response workers andvolunteers to be able to undertake theiractivities comfortably. We appreciate thecooperation from organizations and people
who shared with us good practice examples.
We hope that these examples will be used,
not only in the field of supporting thereconstruction following the East Japan
Disaster, but also for a revision of local
disaster prevention plans and/or for daily
disaster prevention activities.

Each good practice example indicates a“phase” of disaster cycle and a “target
audience” as a guide for the application: i.e.
which situations and who this should refer to.

“Phase” (Time duration for each phase below
may change depending on situations)
Emergency Response: Immediately after thedisaster to the beginning of evacuation
Evacuation: Including the period not only at
evacuation centers but also in the event of‘evacuating at home’
Temporary Housing: Period when staying in
temporary housing, public residences or leased
residences, which are considered as temporary
housing
Recovery and Reconstruction: Periods ofreconstructing livelihood, town, and housing
Preparedness: All periods. Issues continue tobe considered in preparation of the next
disaster

About the terms “Disability” and“Persons with disabilities”“Target Audiences”

The Women’s Network for East Japan
Disaster uses the term “ 障 害 者” instead of“ 障 が い 者.” ( 障(sho)- 害(gai)- 者(sha))–includes kanji (chinese character) “ 害”,
meaning “harm” for the letter “gai,” insteadof using hiragana for “gai.” The reason thatthe organization uses “ 害” (harm) in its
representation is that it is not a problem touse “ 障 害” (kanji for sho-gai ) based on thesocial model, which considers that it issociety that creates disability, and asolution to the problems that persons withdisabilities face can be achieved not bychanging its representation but by changing
society itself. In addition, changing kanji tohiragana for “gai” (which does not require
the use of “ 害” (harm)) may replace thecore of the problems that have stemmed insociety with problems of how they feel. In
addition, the word “ 障 害 者” (using kanji for
all three letters) has been cherished as an
identity position of persons with disabilities
in the disability movements in Japan.

Government/Administration: Municipalities,
Prefectures and Central Government
Community-based Organizations: Civil andl o c a l c i t i z e ns’ g r o up s in af f ected ar eas ,including neighbourhood association, disaster
preparedness committee of the residents
association and local women’s association
Voluntary Organizations: Organizations fromoutside of the affected areas (volunteer groups
and NGOs, corporations, etc.)
Volunteers: Individual volunteers who provide
activities in affected areas5

Table of Contents
Title

Phase*

Target audience**

Ad, CBO
AB
01 Listening to women’s needs
CBO, VOAB
02 Distribution of relief supplies according to diverse needs
Ad, CBOAB
03 Various difficulties in evacuation center
CBO, VOAB
04 Sorting out and managing relief supplies
CBO, VOAB
05 Making life as evacuee comfortable
Ad, CBO, VO
AB
06 A private space for women only
Ad, VOAB
07 Needs that only women official can hear
Ad, CBO, VO, FO
ABC
08 Respite for evacuees
CBO, VOABC
09 Overlooked high school students’ needs
Ad
AB
10 Concern of those who have to go to work during post-disaster period
CBO, VOAB
11 Creating personal time by rotating duty
CBO, VO, FO
ABC
12 Making free time for mothers
Ad, CBO, VO
ABC
13 The elderly and baby day care*
Column:Peoplerequiringassistanceduringadisaster
Ad, CBO, VO
AB
14 Evacuation of children with disabilities and their families
Ad, CBO, VO
AB
15 Meeting needs of persons with disabilities
Ad, VOABE
16 How to grasp various needs
FOABE
17 Aid efficiency or diversity considerations?
CBO, VOABC
18 Assistance for those who have to stay at home
Ad, CBO, VO
AB
19 Assistance for babies, and expectant and nursing mothers
CBO, VOAB
20 Providing relief supplies and information which are appropriate to each person’s age
Ad, VOAB
21 Providing places for women who cannot go home immediately after the disasterAd
C
22 Female staff members supporting temporary housing community
VOC
23 Creating communication opportunities for men
CBO, VOBCD
24 Establishing center for supporting affected womenVO
BCD
25 Increasing options
Ad, CBO, VO
CDE
26 Supporting affected women in launching a business
Ad, CBO, VO
CDE
27 Consideration to foreign residents
Ad, CBO, VO
BCD
28 Tracing the vulnerable evacuees * Column: Reconstruction paying attention to “minorities”
Ad, CBO, VO
D
29 Listening to those who cannot participate in meetings
Ad, CBO, VO
D
30 Involving children in planning the local reconstruction
Ad, VOE
31 The importance of coordination meetings
CBO, VO, FO
E
32 Working together to plan projects
VOE
33 Placing volunteers in appropriate places
VOE
34 Concern about staff residence
VOE
35 Training about sexual harassment
VO, V
E
36 Be aware of sharing personal information and photo shoots
VO, V
E
37 Difficulty in relationships with affected people
VO, V
E
38 Care for disaster response workers and volunteers after finishing activities
VOE
39 Disaster response teams with mixed gender
VO, VE
40 Establishing a code of conduct for staff and volunteers * Example of a written pledge
Ad, VOE
41 Place for communication between evacuees and local people
Ad
E
42 Importance of taking over work from a predecessor● Gender and Diversity Sensitivity Check List Based on “The Sphere Project: Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Humanitarian Response”● Organizations contributing to this publication(*) Phase of disaster cycle/
A: Emergency Response, B: Evacuation, C: Temporary Housing, D: Recovery and Reconstruction, E: Preparedness
6

Pages

8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
23
24
25
26
28
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
40
41
42
43
44
46
47
48
49
51
52
53
55
56
57
63

(**) Target Audience/
Ad: the Administration, CBO: Community-based Organization, VO: Voluntary Organization, FO: Funding Organization, V: Volunteer
7

Listening to women in women only meeting

Evacuation
Temporary
Housing
Recovery andReconstruction

Staff members at women’s grassroots groups,
and public officials at the gender equality
section of the local government, understoodthe difficulty of assessing women’s needs sothey first talked to leaders at the evacuation
centers and ward chiefs of the area (mostlymen) in order to arrange for women to meet ina separate private room for their consultation.
At the beginning, these women hesitated to
speak up, but after one woman broke thesilence, they spoke out, one after another.

organization devised a request form, which
only requires checking off a list of concerns
and missing supplies so that women atevacuation centers can easily fill it out.

Requests for supplies vary depending not
only on age and gender but also on an
individual needs. Women’s undergarments
are especially in great demand in different
types and sizes. Women might find it difficult
to state their undergarment sizes.

Many women filled this form out since it only
required them checking a list. The forms werecollected by folding the checking side inside
and taping both edges like an envelope inorder to maintain privacy.

Sanitary goods can be placed on the shelferected in the women’s toilet in advance.
Undergarments can be chosen freely by
women in a separate room.

Efficient and effective assistance
Gaining understanding from men

Preparedness

Sometimes there is opposition from men
towards women’s needs assessment; they
say that men also have been experiencing adifficult time. The problem was resolved whenan explanation was added by public officers.
These men came to understand and wererelieved when they found smiles on thewomen’s faces after their hearing in separate
rooms.

It is sometimes difficult for women to speak inpublic about the size of their undergarments
and the kind of sanitary goods that a woman
uses even at normal times, not to mention
during an evacuation. One women’sThis method made it possible to provide
assistance by responding to individual needs.
Accurate assistance was possible thanks tototalling up the request lists and identifying
the exact amount and size of goods required,
which also reduced waste in the procurement
thereof. The women’s organization divided thetotalled results into “missing supplies” and“needs”, and submitted these to the city
officials. The city mayor was surprised at thisresult that showed the situation of the female
evacuees. This grassroots women’sorganization was able to gain support fromthe municipal office. It helped the group’s
activities by making it easier to rent a
warehouse or to collect donations.

Emergency
Response

Thinking from a beneficiary’s position
It is essential that women are in charge ofdistributing supplies like sanitary napkins,
women’s undergarments, and panty-liners.
There was a voluntary assistance group that
put these supplies into paper bags or boxes
so that other people could not see what wasin them.

It is difficult for affected people to speak out
about their concerns and relief supply needs
when in evacuation centers. Women andelderly people can be especially shy and may
not easily voice their concerns. It is therefore
not easy to always grasp their needs. There
are some methodologies which make it easierto grasp their needs and concerns.

Utilizing a request checklist

8

A female staff of NICCO assesses needs of affected
women by interviewing. (Photo credit: Tsuyoshi Wada)

Distribution of relief supplies according
to diverse needs

Evacuation

With wisdom, device and experience□ Voluntary Organization

A set of donated goods.
The bag can be used as alaundry bag. (Photo credit:
Miyagi Jo-net)

Temporary
Housing

Listening to women’s needs

02

Target Audience□ the Administration □ Community-based Organization□ Funding Organization □ Volunteer

Recovery andReconstruction□ Voluntary Organization

Preparedness

Emergency
Response

01

Target Audience□ the Administration □ Community-based Organization□ Funding Organization □ Volunteer

9Sorting out and managing relief supplies

Requesting through female leaders

Methods of distributing relief supplies

Evacuation
Temporary
Housing

In many cases, it was men who were thechairman or main committee members of
local residents associations (jichikai) or
voluntary disaster prevention associations(jishu bousai soshiki) that worked as leaders at
evacuation centers. Many people approached
for a consultation with them as life wasreturning to normal. The concerns included a
lot of issues, such as rules at evacuation
center, relationships with other evacuees, theenvironment surrounding the evacuation
centers and concerns pertaining to families
and children.

Recovery andReconstruction

A jichikai is an organisation whose members
carry out independent activities to help one
another and improve the living environment,
development of an area and promote mutual
friendships in the neighbourhood whichusually covers up to several thousandfamilies. Ninety-six percent of the chairman ofjichikais were men in 2012.

Preparedness

In one evacuation center in Miyagi Prefecture,
five or six women, who were in charge of anelectric appliance which evacuees jointly
used, became female leaders and put
women’s concerns together. If only one
woman goes to the male leader for
consultation of women specific concerns, it
might be considered as a personal concern
and leaders find it hard to deal with. These
concerns became well addressed after these
women started putting them together. Not
only women, but also children and elderly
people, felt that it was easier to consult withfemale leaders about their concerns. Involving
women as leaders in the management ofevacuation centers makes every evacuee feel
more comfortable living there.

A female leader at
Otsuchi Town, Iwate
Prefecture

Relief supplies are not distributed efficiently ifthey are left piled up; it is hard to ascertain
where everything is. It is necessary to sortthem out first systematically. In one area in
Miyagi prefecture, a women’s leader at a local
disaster prevention association went to theevacuation centers and asked women for help
in sorting out the goods. When clothes were
sorted out into female, male and different
sizes, it became easier for people to receive
what they wanted without any difficulty.
At the beginning, when relief supplies started
arriving, only men tended to be assigned tothe distribution post for reasons of managing
and maintaining order for distribution.
However, this made it difficult for women toaccess the supplies.
It is important that residents discuss the ideaof having both men and women in charge ofmanaging relief supplies. Voluntaryorganizations should explain and advise theevacuees on the benefits of having women inthat position. It is also important that men andwomen cooperate with each other to avoid
the burden centers only on some people formanaging supplies and sorting out goods.

Evacuation

Various difficulties in evacuation centers

Emergency
Response□ Voluntary Organization

Goods collected by donation.
(Photo credit: Miyagi Jo-net)

Temporary
Housing

04

Target Audience□ the Administration □ Community-based Organization□ Funding Organization □ Volunteer

Recovery andReconstruction□ Voluntary Organization

Preparedness

Emergency
Response
1003Target Audience□ the Administration □ Community-based Organization□ Funding Organization □ Volunteer

11Temporary
Housing

Making temporary toilets accessible

Indispensable at evacuation centers

In the facilities used as evacuation centers,
temporary toilets are set up because toilets
are often broken during disasters or there is a
shortage of the number of toilets. However,most of the temporary toilets are of theJapanese style (that require the user to squat
over the toilet) and have steps from the door,
so that they are not entirely accessible. With
the widespread use of Western-style toilets,
there are now certain numbers of people whoare not able to use Japanese-style toilets.
Some children, particularly, do not know how
to use them and make a mess whenattempting to use them. It annoys not only thechildren themselves but also other people
who are living within the same evacuation
center.

Providing a space for feeling secure andrelaxedRecovery andReconstruction
Preparedness

There is one organization, which taught
children at evacuation centers, how to use theJapanese-style toilets with a demonstration
using a dummy. In order to make temporary
toilets comfortable, it is also useful to request
the relief supplies to include Western-style
toilet seats, which can be attached to the
Jap a n e s e - s t yle to ilets and small siz ed
assistant steps to make it easier to go up thesteps for the toilets.
There are other useful ideas, such as making
night lights brighter around toilets, extending
the distance between men’s and women’s
toilets, and setting up unisex toilets for
persons with disabilities which anyone canuse when other toilets are fully occupied.

Workshop: How to use the Japanese-style toilets(Photo credit: Save the Children Japan)

Evacuation

A private space for women

In one of the evacuation centers, which
utilized a large convention hall, around 2,500
people were living. At the beginning of theirevacuation, there were no partitions available,
even when they slept, so that it was difficult toprotect privacy. Women had many concerns;
for example, women were not able to sleep
safely, some women were harassed by men
while sleeping, and mothers felt distressed
because their babies were crying at night
disturbing other evacuees.

Temporary
Housing

Evacuation

Making life as evacuee comfortable□ Voluntary Organization

Officers at the prefecture government pickedup these women’s concerns and opened “aprivate space for women” using one of therooms available in the facility. This space wasrun and supported jointly by several groups; alocal women’s organization, which set up “acafé” for women at the center, another local
women’s organization, and a center for
gender equality, and volunteers.
Inside that space, there was another small
room where women could change clothes or
have a nap without worrying about otherpeople, a table where women could gather tohave tea and sweets in order to be relaxed,
and a corner with a mirror where women
could use hair dryers and put make-up on.
Women came to this space to change
clothes, chat with others and drop by with acrying baby at night.

Emergency
Response

06

Target Audience□ the Administration □ Community-based Organization□ Funding Organization □ Volunteer“A space for women only” at the evacuation center: Big Pallet
Fukushima (Photo credit: Fukushima Gender Equality Center)

filled out request forms and receive personal
items such as brassieres. Some women did
not even have a brassiere until early summer
when it becomes indispensable. The spacebecame a hub where women felt safe. In thisdifficult group living environment, evacuatedwomen depended upon this space. Effective
support from outside also became possible
thanks to this private space.

Recovery andReconstruction□ Voluntary Organization

Preparedness

Emergency
Response

05

Target Audience□ the Administration □ Community-based Organization□ Funding Organization □ Volunteer

Assistance needs a base place
In this women only space, womenparticipated in art workshops, madedoorplates to hang on curtains which
protected their living space in the center, and12

It is clear that living in evacuation centers
forces women to face many difficulties. It isnecessary to stipulate setting up “a space forwomen only” as a mandatory item in a
management manual of evacuation centers.
13

Temporary
Housing

Why did necessities not reach everyone?

Respite Days

Only male officers were dispatched toresearch needs at evacuation centers at
the initial stage

Many affected people are tired both physicallyand mentally. Especially, women with children
in an evacuation situation can be burdenedwith undue stress. For instance when mothers
and their children evacuated from their normal
place of residence in order to avoid radiation
caused by the Fukushima nuclear accident,
mothers had to take care of their children onlyby themselves in an unfamiliar place without
the support of their spouse because theyoften stayed behind in the affected areas.
“Respite Days” is an opportunity to give suchmothers and children a brief break.

After the disaster, necessary relief supplies
often did not reach evacuation centers eventhough many goods were sent from all overJapan. One reason was that they lacked asystem to understand affected people’s
needs. One of the local governments in Miyagi
dispatched officials into the field, assessed
the needs of people in evacuation centers anddistributed necessities. Because of the
anticipated danger in the field, as well as thefact that there was a general understandingthat “field officers are men” and “womenshould not go on site,” all dispatched officials
were male.

Dispatching female officers helps in thefield
It is important to protect the security ofofficials who are dispatched to the site in adisaster when it is difficult to grasp thesituation. However, it is a responsibility for theorganization to take safety measures for its
staff, be they women or men. A female officer
said, “It is natural to go out to the field as apublic officer. It will have a harmful influence if
female officers do not participate in earlyneeds assessment.” This female officer’s
experience illustrates the importance of theirroles.

Recovery andReconstruction

Women and children who hesitate to speak
about their needs

Preparedness

Sometimes necessary relief goods were notavailable, especially for women and children,at evacuation centers. A female officer who
worked at the department close to the citizens
thought that women were reluctant to tell theirneeds to the men, and proposed going into
the field. At first, her proposal was declined
because “there was no precedence ofsending women into the field and it was
dangerous,” but later female officers began to
be dispatched as she persuaded persons incharge, one by one, and made a consensus
that it was the role of the department, which
protects citizens’ lives, to conduct hearings ofconcerns and needs at evacuation centers.

Being heard at an evacuation center

During Respite Days, they looked so relaxedthat they did not look like evacuees from thedisaster and the nuclear accident. However,unsolved problems piled up, e.g. considering
the facts of raising children apart fromfamilies, moving to different places forevacuation, and relationships with families
staying in Fukushima. Consultations withlawyers were available at this place of respite.
Participants can do anything they like.
Mothers enjoyed having aromatherapy andmassage, making Christmas wreaths andlearning art of self-defence. Children playedvolleyball, made dragon crafts and Origami(the traditional Japanese art of paper-folding),
drawing and reading picture books. Girls in
the upper grades gathered in a small group toplay games and chat. Little children createdtheir own play by themselves. Taking part invarious programs, the Respite Days giveevacuees a relaxed feeling.

Self-administered chiropractorySelf-administered chiropractory

Emergency
Response

Respite for evacuees

Evacuation

Evacuation

Needs that only women official can hear

□ Voluntary Organization

Temporary
Housing

08

Target Audience□ the Administration □ Community-based Organization□ Funding Organization □ Volunteer

Recovery andReconstruction□ Voluntary Organization

Preparedness

Emergency
Response

07

Target Audience□ the Administration □ Community-based Organization□ Funding Organization □ Volunteer

Diverse needs can be picked up through workshops,
such as hand massage sessions
14

15

Evacuation
Temporary
Housing

Local boards of education coordinated certain
level of assistance to elementary and juniorhigh school students under compulsory
education periods. However, high school
students, especially those who work during
the daytime and go to school at night, did notreceive enough support. In the early stages of
evacuation, personal protection alarms were
provided to children, but these alarms were
not provided to students at night school eventhough they came home later than regularhigh school students, while streetlights were
not yet fixed.

Recovery andReconstruction

One group provided alarms to these highschool students after a girl who went to nightschool voiced her security concerns about
travelling to and from school. The group not
only provided alarms but also gave her
information regarding consultation services forsexual assaults to alleviate her anxiety.

Preparedness

High school students looked tired because
they, like other young people, were asked toundertake many different tasks, such as
carrying goods at evacuation centers. Afterthey moved into temporary housing, they did
not receive many support programs fromoutside compared with children and elderly
people, due to the small number of highschool students in temporary housing
community. There were some communities
where adults thought it was not right if only
junior high and high school students gatheredat the community center of the temporary
housing site. It is necessary to listen more
carefully to the voices of high school students
who are neither children nor adults.

Emergency
Response

Concerns of those who have to go towork during post-disaster period
Who takes care of families during emergency situations?
Some of the local government officials andlifeline corporate employees have an
obligation to go to work when disasters
happen. Preparing for these situations, it isimportant to discuss with other family
members, relatives or neighbours in advanceto decide who picks up, ensures the securityof, protects and takes care of children or
family members who need the care of others
during times of emergency.
In the case where officials were also affected
and had to go to work from an evacuation
center, they could not leave their children sothat they often brought their children to work.
One local government officer in Miyagi
prefecture, and her husband who was also a
local government officer, were at work when
the disaster happened and they could notleave the office for over a month. They alreadyasked their relative to pick up their children
from a nursery and take them to their parents’home if a big disaster were to occur. The
arrangement mitigated their worries about
taking care of children except for their feelingsof missing their children.
A female officer at a local government in Iwate
prefecture survived the tsunami although herhome was swept away. After the disaster, sheshared a saloon room of a hotel withcolleagues which they used as theiraccommodation, and devoted herself toemergency response work. Once she went toan evacuation center, but she felt that it was
not a place for single women. While families
often felt that it was difficult to live there, as asingle woman, she felt it much stronger.

housing, but she could not receive domestic
electrical appliances which were distributed toevery family who moved in since they were
supposed to be distributed during daytime
when she was not at home. As the coldseason approached, she could not takereceipt of these appliances. She finally picked
them up at a different time because she could
tell a dealer, “I cannot pick up theseappliances during the daytime since I am apublic officer and am not allowed to have a
break during the daytime.” Single people whoare not public officers might have hesitated to
ask for this special arrangement.
Like people who have to take care of families,
single people also tend to have a difficult timesince they have to do everything on their own
and it seems that they are more reluctant to
ask for help. As single-headed households
increase in Japan, a system that allows
friends or acquaintances to act on behalf ofsingle people is necessary.

Evacuation

Distribution of personal protection alarms□ Voluntary Organization

Temporary
Housing

Overlooked High School Students’ Needs

10

Target Audience□ the Administration □ Community-based Organization□ Funding Organization □ Volunteer

Recovery andReconstruction□ Voluntary Organization

Preparedness

Emergency
Response

09

Target Audience□ the Administration □ Community-based Organization□ Funding Organization □ Volunteer

She managed to set herself up in temporary16

17

Temporary
Housing

Making free time for mothers

Liberation from heavy burden of stereotypical gendered division of labour

Sharing childcare duties

In evacuation centers, there are many cases
where only women are in charge of preparing
food. A long-term evacuation life can often
make them exhausted. In one evacuation
center, female leaders from a disasterprevention association started preparing every
meal with other women. They rotated theirduties to give their bodies a rest and go to see
their own houses. Their burden became lessas they only had to take a turn once every
three days.

In one evacuation center, about 100 affected
people were divided into four groups andeach group went to clean streets andcollapsed houses, procure food and prepare
meals, in turn. They also rotated childcare
duties in order for the mothers with young
children to have more time.

Recovery andReconstruction

Even when stereotypical gender division oflabour cannot be avoided immediately after adisaster; it is important to create a situation,
which reduces the burden on particularpeople by changing systems, increasing help
from youth, children and men, and utilizing
volunteers.

In the case of disaster, the burdens andworries of mothers with babies and little
children increase dramatically. This situation
continues even after the confusion calms
down, and people start cleaning andreconstructing their houses and going throughvarious procedures. Since temporary housing
is often built far away from the center of thetown, problems arise as to where to find aplace to leave children and/or it takes longer
to take children to and from school.
A system to support families

Preparedness

There is an example of a local child-care
support NPO (non-profit organization),
together with a disaster volunteer center,
offered day care services for children. It isnecessary to set up a mechanism to support
families with children with the cooperation ofresidents, volunteers and government. The
introduction of “hoiku mama system”, inwhich a so-called “child-minder” takes two or
three children into her home, should be
introduced in an area where a nursery is notavailable.

Evacuation

Evacuation

Creating personal time by rotating duty

Emergency
Response□ Voluntary Organization

A study space at an evacuation center in Soma,
FukushimaTemporary
Housing

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Target Audience□ the Administration □ Community-based Organization□ Funding Organization □ Volunteer

Recovery andReconstruction□ Voluntary Organization

Preparedness

Emergency
Response
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11Target Audience□ the Administration □ Community-based Organization□ Funding Organization □ Volunteer

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