East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami DisasterJapan Committee for UNICEF
Emergency Relief and Reconstruction Support
One Year Report—Toward a Child-Friendly Reconstruction

unite forchildrenForeword

March 11, 2011. It is probably not an overstatement to say that our lives, our ways ofthinking, and our ways of living have completely changed since that day.
The devastation caused by the massive earthquake of unprecedented scale wasunbelievable for UNICEF. Upon receiving the news, UNICEF decided to provide assistanceto Japan the first time in more than a half-century. The last time UNICEF provided
assistance to Japan was in 1959 when the Ise Bay Typhoon brought a terrible disaster toJapan. UNICEF also provided powdered skim milk through school lunches in the aftermathof World War II, and that support continued for 15 years.
While conducting various support programs in the disaster-stricken areas, we often feltthat humans were small and powerless in the face of nature. However, we wereencouraged by seeing the smiles on the faces of children and people we met in thedisaster-stricken areas. We were moved by the people’s passion to recover and were
awakened to the possibilities of humankind.
One year has passed since the disaster. On this occasion, we would like to report whatkind of support activities we have conducted in collaboration with local people and support
groups. The road of recovery has a long way to go, but we would like to share a glimpse ofwhat has happened along the way. Through this report, we believe you will understandthat we have been working hard to bring children hope for the future.
We believe it is time for us adults to think seriously and act for the sake of the children’s
future. We would like to dedicate this report to everyone who has supported us, and to thechildren who have given us courage and hope along the way.
Hoping for a bright future in which children keep on walking with resilient strides…
March 2012

Ryoko Akamatsu
Chairperson
Japan Committee for UNICEF

Contents
Our Goals and Approach

Cover photograph:Children at Midori Kindergarten,
Otsuchi, Iwate, play sosaku taiko,a Japanese drum.
(Photograph taken by KO SASAKI)

1

One Year After the Disaster2
Review of Support Activities . .......................................... 2
Regional Casualty and Damage Report .......................... 2
Donations .......................................................................... 3
Dialogue: Creating a beautiful townwith an ocean view for children

4

Health and Nutrition

8

Education

12

Psychosocial Support

20

Child Protection

22

Child-Friendly Reconstruction Plans

24

We will never forget the day

26

One Year Income and Expenses Report28

Support Activity Contributors
29
Support and Cooperation Participant List ..................... 29
Support and Supplies for Disaster Victims
	  and Areas at a Glance ................................................. 29

Our Goals and Approach

Toward a Child-Friendly Reconstruction
and the UNICEF Tokyo Office, as well as partner organizations
and corporations. We continue to provide psychosocial
support, which requires specialized expertise. Among otherefforts, we also provide support for essential services, suchas education and health services.

UNICEF’s emergency response manual states that in all
natural disasters, it is always the children who suffer the
most. The Japan Committee for UNICEF (JCU) has been providing emergency and reconstruction support for the children
affected by the East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Disaster.
We are doing this in collaboration with UNICEF headquarters

Six Approaches to Emergency and Reconstruction Support

2. Health andNutrition

1. Emergency
Support Supplies

Goal: Resume health care, especiallyinfant health checkups and vaccinations,and nutritional services for mothers andtheir children.

Goal: Provide supplies to emergency
shelters and other centers.
Items supplied: Water, food, Schoolin-a-Box Kits, Recreation Kits, andother supplies.

Activities: Provide technical assistanceby dispatched experts; distribute food,nutritional supplements, and equip   ment and materials; and    disseminate information.

3. Education

6. Child-Friendly
Reconstruction Plans

Goal: Rebuild and reopen schools,
nursery schools, and kindergartens
as quickly as possible.

Goal: Ensure the opinions of children
are reflected in municipalreconstruction plans, and expand the
support for children and childcare.
Activities: Mobilize experts andconduct advocacy activities.*

Build Back Better
Rebuild areas to be child-friendly:
places that allow children to feel safe
and at ease again.

5. Child Protection

Activities: Distribute stationery andschool supplies; provide facilities andfurniture and fixtures; support
transportation services to and fromschools and kindergartens; andother services.

4. Psychosocial
Support

Goal: Strengthen the national childprotection system to protect children
in harsh environments, such as beingorphaned, or those in need of careand protection.

Goal: Strengthen the psychosocial
support system for children.
Activities: Donate bookshelves,
furniture, and fixtures to create ChildFriendly Spaces; dispatch experts tostudy provision of psychological carefor nursery school children; and 		other related services.

Activities: Dispatch experts; provide
life skill training to children andawareness raising; conduct
advocacy activities*; and provide   other related services.

* Advocacy activities include working with partnerorganizations, conducting surveys, providing information,
raising awareness, and making strategy
recommendations to local government authorities.

1One Year After the Disaster
Review of Support Activities

Note: Expenses includes planned expenses

Emergency Support Supplies

Education

page 12

Expenses: ¥187,309,517

Expenses: ¥2,476,704,703

Water, underwear, clothes for children etc.

Back-to-School Campaign• Number of children receiving essential back-to-schoolsupplies: 26,376(Iwate: 17,540; Miyagi: 6,906; Fukushima: 1,930)• Number of students / schools receiving supplies andequipment: 32,726 / 634(Iwate: 10,380; Miyagi: 21,621; Fukushima: 725)
(Iwate: 9; Miyagi: 488; Fukushima: 98)* See “Support and Cooperation Participants List” for detail on page 29.

Health and Nutrition

page 8

Expenses: ¥768,471,953• Number of municipal bodies resumed infant healthcheckups: 18(Iwate: 4; Miyagi: 14)• Number of infants who received health checkups: 27,000(Iwate: 4,000; Miyagi: 23,000)• Number of people potentially covered by influenza
vaccination: Max. 160,000• Number of children able to receive prepared school lunches
due to the provision of utensils and support for school lunch
preparation centers: 15,216 (Miyagi)• Number of children who received supplemental food(school snacks) support at nursery schools andkindergartens: Approx. 830 (Iwate: 25 facilities)

Back to Nursery School and Kindergarten• Number of children / nursery schools and kindergartens
receiving furniture or fixtures support: 4,284 / 73
(Iwate: 1,976; Miyagi: 2,214; Fukushima: 94)(Iwate: 38; Miyagi: 34; Fukushima: 1)
Rebuilding Nursery Schools and Kindergartens Project• Number of children going to nursery schools andkindergartens receiving reconstruction support: 904(Iwate: 225; Miyagi: 585; Fukushima: 94)• Number of nursery schools and kindergartens receiving
reconstruction support: 14(Iwate: 4; Miyagi: 9; Fukushima: 1)

Regional Casualty and Damage Report
Iwate Prefecture

Miyagi Prefecture[Population before the earthquake]• Children between 0 to 15 years old: 36,103*1 (within 0 to 6
years old: 13,217)• Mothers with children less than 6 years old: 7,431*1
Note: 12 cities and towns in coastal Iwate[Population before the earthquake]• Children between 0 to 15 years old: 141,059*1 (within 0 to
6 years old: 57,936)• Mothers with children less than 6 years old: 35,770*1
Note: 16 cities and towns in coastal Miyagi[Population after the earthquake]• Deceased: 4,667 *2• Missing: 1,368 *2• Deaths among 0 to 19 year olds: 164*3• Bereaved or orphaned children: 479 (bereaved),
93 (orphaned)*4[Population after the earthquake]• Deceased: 9,472 *2• Missing: 1,805 *2• Deaths among 0 to 19 year olds: 617*3• Bereaved or orphaned children: 712 (bereaved),
126 (orphaned)*4[Target Areas][Target Areas]

1. Morioka, 2. Oshu, 3. Ichinoseki, 4. Hanamaki, 5. Kitakami,
6. Miyako, 7. Takizawa, 8. Ofunato, 9. Kamaishi, 10. Kuji,
11. Shiwa, 12. Ninohe, 13. Tono, 14. Hachimantai, 15. Yahaba,
16. Rikuzentakata, 17. Yamada, 18. Kuzuishi, 19. Hirono,
20. Otsuchi, 21. Iwaizumi, 22. Nishiwaga, 23. Sumita,
24. Noda, 25. Tanohata, 26. Fudai

1. Sendai, 2. Ishinomaki, 3. Osaki, 4. Tome, 5. Kurihara,
6. Kesennuma, 7. Natori, 8. Tagajyo, 9. Shiogama, 10. Tomiya,
11. Iwanuma, 12. Higashimatsushima, 13. Shibata,14. Shiroishi, 15. Watari, 16. Rifu, 17. Kakuda, 18. Kami,
19. Misato, 20. Yamato, 21. Okawara, 22. Shichigahama,
23. Wakuya, 24. Minamisanriku, 25. Yamamoto, 26. Marumori,
27. Matsushima, 28. Zao, 29. Murata, 30. Onagawa,
31. Kawasaki, 32. Daigo, 33. Shikama, 34. Ohira,35. Shichikashuku*1. 2010 Population Census of Japan.
*2. The Fire and Disaster Management Agency (FDMA)’s report on the Great East Japan Earthquake (No. 143) announced on January 13, 2012.
*3. The National Police Agency’s report on the Great East Japan Earthquake (for the period from March to September 2011) announced on September 15, 2011.
*4. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and each prefectural government (As of December 2012).

2

Donations (As of January 31, 2012)
Psychosocial Support

Emergency relief donations received by the Japan Committee
for UNICEF
From within Japan
¥2,683,593,541
From outside of Japan ¥1,153,015,893

page 20

Expenses: ¥278,137,356• Number of participants to Play Therapy Seminars: 1,520(Iwate: 480 (34 locations); Miyagi: 1,040 (40 locations))• Number of parents and children receiving psychologicalcare from Fukushima Society of Certified ClinicalPsychologists: 2,782 (1,318 adults, 1,464 children)• Number of books delivered by UNICEF Children’s Mini
Library Project: Approx. 330,000• Number of parents and children participated in UNICEF
Children’s Bus Field Trips and Let’s Play! The Outdoors
Playtime Project: 44,658 (Iwate: 4,485; Fukushima: 40,173)

Child Protection

Allotment of Donations by Activity Field
On-Site Operations of All Activities 1%
Activity Reports and Publicity Programs 2%
Child-Friendly Reconstruction Plans 1%
Child Protection

Psychosocial Support

5%

7%

Education

page 22

Provision of Emergency Relief Supplies

1%

20%

Health and Nutrition

63%

Expenses:¥51,673,014• Number of participants in CAP Workshop: 720 people(313 adults, 407 children )Child-Friendly Reconstruction Plans

Note: Donation allotment proportions are calculated based on total amountreceived including the expected expenses. (For the Year Income andExpenses Report, please see page 28.)

page 24

Expenses: ¥53,620,483• Number of children living in project targeted municipalities:
4,751 (Otsuchi, Iwate; Onagawa, Miyagi; Soma, Fukushima)

19
12
10
14

26
25

21

7
1

18
15

Fukushima Prefecture

24

6
11
20

4
22

13

9

5

[Population before the earthquake]• Children between 0 to 15 years old: 77,906*1 (within 0 to 6
years old: 30,901)• Mothers with children less than 6 years old: 18,144*1

17

23
2

16

8

3
6

Note: 10 cities and towns in coastal Fukushima

5[Population after the earthquake]• Deceased: 1,925 *2• Missing: 63 *2• Deaths among 0 to 19 year olds: 98*3
• Bereaved or orphaned children:139 (bereaved),
21 (orphaned)*4

33
20

23
19

34

32

27 12
10
16
8 9

1

24

4

3

18

31

7
29
13 11
21
15
14
17
25

2

30

22

28

[Target Areas]35

1. Iwaki, 2. Koriyama, 3. Fukushima, 4. Minami-soma, 5. Date,
6. Shirakawa, 7. Nihonmatsu, 8. Soma, 9. Motomiya,
10. Nishigo, 11. Yabuki, 12. Miharu, 13. Ishikawa,
14. Inawashiro, 15. Kawamata, 16. Tomioka, 17. Kori,
18. Kunimi, 19. Otama, 20. Shinchi, 21. Futaba, 22. Hirono,
23. Tamura, 24. Iidate, 25. Naraha, 26. Kawauchi, 27. Ookuma,
28. Namie, 29. Katsurao, 30. Aizuwakamatsu

3

15

14
30

10
6

3

1718
5

19

7

2

12 23

11 13

26

20
8

24

4

28
29

21
27
16
26
25
22

1

Notes:
1. Support activity areas areindicated according to theadministrative boundariesof the local municipalities
2. The numbers on the map
correspond with the cities
indicated in “Target Area.”Dialogue:

Creating a beautiful townwith an ocean view for children
The reconstruction andrevitalization of Otsuchi
A dialogue between
Akira Ikegami, Journalist,
and Yutaka Ikarigawa, Mayor of Otsuchi, Iwate© JCU/KO SASAKIMr. Ikegami: Every city and town seems to be having difficulty creating a reconstruction plan. What are the key points for
Otsuchi’s approach?
Mr. Ikarigawa: We asked residents to think for themselves
about what makes our area distinctive. That was the starting
point. We then formed a conference to quickly put a plan
together. We asked Tokyo University to provide coordinators
for these discussions. Tokyo University has a marine researchfacility in the Akahama district of our town. We used this relationship to ask the university to supply a coordinator for eachof the 10 districts. Normally, we would ask each district tochoose the chairman. But, as we didn’t have time for an application and selection process, I named these conference
leaders by myself.
Mr. Ikegami: What are the main elements of your reconstruction plan?
Mr. Ikarigawa: Otsuchi is shaped like an eggplant. The top,which is the narrow part, faces the ocean. This is where the
Otsuchi and Kozuchi rivers flow side by side into the Pacific
Ocean. The center of town was where the two rivers
crossed. Everything was destroyed by the tsunami there. To
rebuild our town, we must consider relocating it to a higher
ground, but there is none. Consequently, we came up with aplan to cut out the middle of a steep 100-meter hill called Shiroyama and build our community there. We would use that asthe center for a doughnut-shaped community. However, I
was told that this project would take 14 to 15 years.
Mr. Ikegami: For the construction work?
Mr. Ikarigawa: Yes. I understand that the cost would be
about ¥200 billion. That’s an enormous figure.
Mr. Ikegami: It’s not realistic.
Mr. Ikarigawa: People have been constantly leaving Otsuchi
since the disaster. We rank first in Iwate in population loss.
It’s like a person who is losing blood. We have to find a way
to apply a bandage to the wound.
Mr. Ikegami: You must stop the bleeding.
Mr. Ikarigawa: That’s right. Two of our marine product processing companies have moved to towns that border
Otsuchi. The remaining 16 have not taken any actions toresume full-scale operations. Even one of these companies
restarting could create 50 to 100 jobs. Otsuchi’s fishing industry is bankrupt, so we have to act immediately to create jobs.
However, the earthquake caused land to sink. That means

The importance of passing memories of the disaster on
to future generations
Mr. Ikegami: What are your thoughts now—a year after theearthquake and tsunami?
Mr. Ikarigawa: We have finished sorting the debris. However,the landscape is desolate, and people are enduring the cold
as they live in temporary housing. This makes me feel that
we need to act quickly to meet the demand of the people assoon as possible.
Mr. Ikegami: I recall that the lives of the former mayor andseveral employees were lost in the disaster. That is why it
wasn’t possible to take any actions on the municipal level atfirst. Right?
Mr. Ikarigawa: The town government had 136 employees
before the earthquake. The lives of 33 were lost in the disaster, including the mayor. I became the mayor on the eveningof the August 28, by election. As you said, at first no one
knew where to begin. Compared with other towns, we were
far behind. I was very concerned about what to do in the
period from September to December. In September, webegan by establishing an organizational framework. During
the next three months, we somehow put together a reconstruction plan. We divided up the reconstruction council tocover 10 districts in the town. Then members of the town
government gave residents time to think about what theywanted to do with their town. I didn’t know if we could finish
the process by December. Although we didn’t finish, we helda meeting for the whole town on December 4 and received
many suggestions and comments.

JCU staff explain about damaged site of Otsuchi.

© JCU/Ko Sasaki

4

building an industrial park for marine products would requirehuge expenditures which would be difficult to fund. So I am
ashamed to say that nothing is being done now. I’m also
worried that once household incomes dry up, parents may
have to tell children things they don’t want to hear.
Mr. Ikegami: Do you mean that children face hardships?
Mr. Ikarigawa: I heard that a student who wanted to go to ahigh school in the big city, Morioka, was told by the parents
to stay in their hometown, because they didn’t have enoughmoney to send him.
Mr. Ikegami: Creating jobs is important because this wouldstop the population decline and make life easier for children.
Mr. Ikarigawa: That’s because jobs are the basis for our lives.
Mr. Ikegami: If you can’t move to high ground, can’t you build
higher sea walls instead so that people could return to theoriginal town center?
Mr. Ikarigawa: The new sea walls have to be 14.5 meterstall. That’s enough to keep out the tsunamis that hit in 1896
and 1933. Last year’s tsunami would have slightly overflowed
the wall. We will allow the construction of sturdy buildings inlocations with an elevation of at least one meter, so that residents have the option of returning. However, according to
Article 39 of the Building Standards Law, we must designate
flooded areas as disaster danger zones.
Mr. Ikegami: So no one can live in those areas?
Mr. Ikarigawa: We will have to make those areas into parksand other similar facilities. I want to make a “forest ofremembrance”. That’s because I think it’s important not toforget about the disaster.
Mr. Ikegami: That leads to the question of how we shouldpass on this experience to future generations.
Mr. Ikarigawa: I believe that we have an obligation to pass it
on to the future generations so they can recall this experience. Almost 10% of our population perished. Almost 500
people are missing. This must never be forgotten.

Mayor Ikarigawa explain about an image of theirreconstruction plan

© JCU/KO SASAKI

nursery school and junior high school. We need to do something
about this tragedy.
Mr. Ikegami: Nursery schools and other schools weredamaged.
Mr. Ikarigawa: As I noted already, people were thinking
about integrating or closings school prior to the disaster. We
will have to think about combining nursery schools and kindergartens and take some kind of actions.
Mr. Ikegami: Looking back over the past year, Otsuchi has
received aid from many sources to deal with the enormous
damage.
Mr. Ikarigawa: We received assistance from organizations inJapan and other countries. We are very grateful for this
support. UNICEF has helped us in many ways, including thereconstruction of a nursery school and kindergarten and providing psychological care for children. UNICEF is placing much
importance on the psychological well-being of children. We arealso worried about children who lost parents. UNICEF has
been assisting us in this area as well. In the summer of 2011,
we used a room at the Kirikiri Kisshoji temple to hold a discussion about what to do regarding the psychological well-beingof children. I will never forget the day we had that discussion.
Mr. Ikegami: Reconstructing the town as soon as possible isthe most pressing issue for Otsuchi now. However, you haveto think about this from a long-term perspective.
Mr. Ikarigawa: I think that we need to look ahead in creating
our community, while also being realistic. In my opinion, realistic responses would involve plans for the previous residential areas and land utilization. We will do this over the next
eight years. After that, the important part will be how we aregoing to build a new community there.
Mr. Ikegami: So you will first establish a base over an eight-year
period and then start building a new community on that base.
Mr. Ikarigawa: We should do both simultaneously. The
town’s employees have started work on five projects, all ofwhich are generating a heated debate. From the standpointof building a new community, I have asked the national government for a subsidy associated with the smart gridconcept. Two or three years ago, Otsuchi was interested in
the “municipality cloud” computing concept, too. However,our data was lost when the town hall was washed away. I
think we should move ahead with the municipality cloud.
Mr. Ikegami: With this municipality cloud, each municipality
would not have its own server. Instead, they would shareservers in another location.
Mr. Ikarigawa: That’s correct. Since the servers are used forthe same purposes, individual towns and cities would no

Key elements of reconstruction will be the smart grid, themunicipality cloud, network mergers and expansion of
the nonresident population
Mr. Ikegami: Regarding the creation of a community here,
one major issue is how to raise children to be the core
members of Otsuchi in the future.
Mr. Ikarigawa: Five of our seven elementary and junior highschools were damaged. All students are going to a temporary
school. There were talks about combining and closing schools
even before the earthquake. Schools with five or six students
in a single class with different grades don’t foster competition. I think it’s better for children to grow up in a place where
they can study with many other students. This is why we arethinking about unifying elementary and junior high schools.
We talked about this yesterday at the town council meeting.
We have started working on this issue.
Mr. Ikegami: In other words, you want to turn this into an
opportunity, so to say, to create something better.
Mr. Ikarigawa: Yes, I’m trying to find an opportunity despite
the damage. Otsuchi is now facing a blank white canvas. I
want to shut down the old systems and create a new community.
Mr. Ikegami: There are many issues involving psychologicalcare for children.
Mr. Ikarigawa: There were 27 deaths among children in5

Akira Ikegami

Yutaka Ikarigawa

As a journalist at NHK, Mr. Ikegami
covered the National Police Agency,
Ministry of Culture (now Ministry of
Education, Culture, Sports, Scienceand Technology) and other government agencies. Starting in 1994, heplayed the role of the father in a TV
program called Weekly Children’sNews. He has authored many books,
including How to Communicate with
Others (Kodansha) and The Great East
Japan Earthquake – News that Brings
People Together (Bungeshunju). He isa UNICEF monthly supporter andvisited Otsuchi as a representative of
all UNICEF supporters.

Due to the early death of his father,Mr. Ikarigawa helped support his
household since he was a child. He
started working for Otsuchi after finishing high school. After posts in thefinance, commerce, general affairs
and other departments, he retired in
December 2010. After the earthquake
struck, he immediately started helping
others as a volunteer, exchanging
views with specialists and performing
other activities. He was elected mayorof Otsuchi in August 2011. His wife isa former nursery school teacher.

Born: 1950
Freelance journalist

Born: 1951
Mayor of Otsuchi© JCU/KO SASAKI© JCU/KO SASAKIIn the words of author Hisashi Inoue, “There are difficult
times, there are sad times, but we will not be held down, we
will cry and laugh, but let's move on.” This author also createdthe fantasy country called Kirikiri. Otsuchi must move forward
while using this type of motif. For our reconstruction concept,
my idea is “a resilient, beautiful town with an ocean view thatmakes people want to go out to enjoy a walk.” This message
expresses the importance of tourism while saying that wemust move forward with rebuilding our town.
Mr. Ikegami: Do you mean the town will not rebuild byplacing emphasis on any one particular, whether it is themunicipality cloud, network mergers, or the nonresident population, but will be reconstructed by using the wisdom of
nonresidents?
Mr. Ikarigawa: Japan’s population is forecast to fall by 30%
to 40% over the next 40 to 50 years. This decline is like losing
the entire current populations of Hokkaido, the six Tohoku
prefectures and northern Kanto. Populations of rural areas likeours are not expected to grow. This is why we need toincrease the nonresident population.
Mr. Ikegami: You said earlier that residents of your town
should take part in creating a reconstruction plan. What are
your expectations for the residents of Otsuchi, including thechildren?
Mr. Ikarigawa: When we start implementing the plan, we will
have difficulty making progress if everyone agrees with the
big picture but disagrees with individual elements. I think it isimportant to move forward with everyone in agreement. To
accomplish this, we will have to create and accurately communicate a clear image of our plan for Otsuchi. The residentsof Otsuchi are facing extreme difficulties now, but I feelstrongly about having our residents cooperate in the processof creating a community which we can all be proud of. Children are our future and the most precious existence in our
town. We must treat these children with care and foster theirabilities to the fullest. I want to move decisively to create thenecessary environment and enact the necessary policies.
Mr. Ikegami: Finally, what is your message to the people inJapan and around the world who helped support and protect
Otsuchi?
Mr. Ikarigawa: Otsuchi has suffered a terrible blow. We aredetermined to progress forward with the kind support we
received by establishing a reconstruction plan as soon as
possible and completing our reconstruction. I am extremely
grateful to everyone in Japan and around the world for theirassistance. Thank you very much.
Mr. Ikegami: Thank you for your time.

longer need to spend money to customize packages suppliedby vendors. Towns and cities participating in the cloud cansplit the cost. I think this so-called “network merger” is abetter system.
Mr. Ikegami: Towns and cities could place all their data in a
separate location instead of conducting a physical merger.
Any municipality could receive data from that location andstore important data there. Is that what you mean by“network mergers?”
Mr. Ikarigawa: Precisely. With the national debt exceeding ¥1
trillion, the national government wants to use the consumption tax to help disaster-stricken areas while cutting back on
expenses. Towns and cities must also help cut expenses. We
should not spend money for the same laws and same purposes. We can use “network mergers” to become more efficient.
Mr. Ikegami: Exactly, what is the smart grid?
Mr. Ikarigawa: After the earthquake, Otsuchi had no accessto information for one week. We had no electricity and nocommunication services. I think municipalities should use
solar and other renewable energy sources. We can store
energy in many locations for use in public facilities during
emergencies.
Mr. Ikegami: So towns and cities would be helping eachother. You’re picturing the efficient way of sharing the energy.
Mr. Ikarigawa: Yes. There are also medium- and long-term
aspects to this concept. Regarding realistic actions, we canuse land rezoning or relocate groups of people. Another key
to special community creation is expansion of the nonresident population. This is because we cannot see hope in a
population increase, because the number of children are
falling and the elderly are increasing.
Mr. Ikegami: Please elaborate on that subject.
Mr. Ikarigawa: I want more people to visit Otsuchi for whatever reason, I mean by visitors other than tourists. Right now,
tens of thousands of volunteers are in this area. Furthermore,other municipalities are loaning us their employees for one
week or even one year. There is also talk about forming acomprehensive community creation agreement with Tokyo
University. In fact, I met the president of the university justfour or five days ago and we talked about this type of agreement. Many people from Japan and overseas come to the university’s marine research facility here, so this is anotherimportant source of visitors. To increase the nonresident population, these nonresidents could take part in the community
creation process. Furthermore, Otsuchi has Horai Island,
which was the model for a well-known island in a TV program.

6

Midori Kindergarten (Otsuchi, Iwate)
Midori Kindergarten was located in the northwest surburbs of Otsuchi, an area that suffered massive tsunami
damage. Tsunami run-up the Otsuchi River and waterreached the second floor of the school. There was also
damage from the fire that started immediately after theearthquake. Two school buses filled with children had justdeparted when the earthquake hit. Once the strongest
tremors had subsided, the buses returned to the school,as per the procedure outlined in the disaster manual.
About 40 of the 73 children who were at the school were
evacuated to Otsuchi High School, a designated evacuation site on high ground.
Midori Kindergarten restarted operations on April 27 byusing part of the high school. However, another location
had to be found due to the difficulty of using the highschool for a long time. In response to a request from
Midori Kindergarten, and with the agreement of the Iwate
prefectural government, JCU decided to assist with theconstruction of a temporary school building. Work beganin November 2011 and operations started with the
opening ceremony on January 24, 2012. As of February 1,
2012, 51 students were attending the school.
© JCU/KO SASAKI
Midori Kindergarten principal Eiko Sasaki talks about thesituation at the school immediately after the earthquake and tsunami.

Midori Kindergarten after theearthquake. The school was in a
relatively new building that wasconstructed only about five years ago.
(Photograph provided by Midori
Kindergarten)
Completed temporary © JCU/KO SASAKI
facilityChildren enjoy going back to school and playing
with their friends

Visiting the town of Otsuchi© JCU/KO SASAKI

I realized that I was supported from overseas aid in theform of the meals I received at my elementary school. I didn’tknow about it when I was that age. However, I learned about
it when I grew up. That’s when I felt that I wanted to givesomething back to other countries. This is why I hope thatthe nursery school and kindergarten children who are receiving aid now will feel that they too will want do something in
return in the future.
February 14, 2012
Akira Ikegami

Since the lives of many employees of Otsuchi town hall werelost, including the mayor, putting together a reconstruction
plan has been very difficult. Under the leadership of the new
mayor Yutaka Ikarigawa, the town is moving ahead slowly
with recovery activities. The reconstruction plan will also havean effect on the eventual plan for rebuilding kindergartens.
With the support of UNICEF, Midori Kindergarten was able
to move into a temporary facility built on a different site.
Many children are now attending the school and enjoying
their time together just as before. Most people associate
UNICEF with assistance for children in developing countries.
However, UNICEF is an international organization that wasestablished to assist in the healthy development of children
all over the world. Its activities cover industrialized as well as
developing countries.
Children in disaster-stricken areas are receiving support
from people around the world. I want these children to knowthat they are not alone. When these children become adults, I
hope they will look back and understand that Japan is now as
it is because of all the support from other countries.

With the children of Midori Kindergarten

7© JCU/KO SASAKIHealth and Nutrition

shared his experience as follows.
“Takada Hospital, where I had worked, was gutted by thetsunami up to the fourth floor. I used the Yonesaki Community Center as an emergency medical center until the temporary clinic was opened on July 25. We resumed infant healthcheckups on April 19. This timely service would never havebeen possible without the assistance of UNICEF. They provided the necessary instruments for the checkups and also
sent health personnel to each site. They worked alongside
the outreach nurses from the town’s Public Health Promotion Department. Their presence gave us heart and helped us
tremendously. The head of the town’s vaccination program
said it would be difficult to get the program running again.
However, on June 2, we started doing measles-rubella vaccinations. While we have a long way to go for full recovery,
once we started the vaccination
program again I breathed a sigh ofrelief. I felt it was amazing that we
had recovered to that extent.”
Yuko Matsuki, Assistant Supervisor in Rikuzentakata’s Public
Health Promotion Department, says,“Immediately after the earthquake,there were many inquiries on infant
Yuko Matsuki
health checkups and vaccinations.
However, we were completely overwhelmed by other services for evacuees, so we were at a loss on how to restart the
infant healthcare. We set the priority as health checkups forchildren and vaccinations above all services. However, themunicipality was not completely functioning, especiallyregarding communications. UNICEF printed and disseminated seven types of posters on checkups and vaccinations.
UNICEF also provided supplies and technical advice. The
health checkups for children and vaccination program wereresumed in June. Without the timely support of UNICEF, thiswouldn’t have happened at that time. Our progress was in astrong partnership with UNICEF. From now on, we will continue moving forward one step at a time.”

Emergency Phase Activities
On March 13, 2011, after the East Japan Earthquake andTsunami Disaster, JCU decided to commit on emergency
support. Consumer co-operatives, local private organizations,and other entities cooperated in reestablishing logistics toevacuation shelters and providing other assistance. First, JCU
procured and transported supplies, then dispatched experts
to help children with critical needs. Following that phase, JCU
quickly expanded to emergency medical relief and health,hygiene, and nutritional activities.
Resuming Infant Health Checkups and Vaccination
Program
Health checkups and vaccinations are essential for protecting
infants to ensure their health and growth. After the disaster,
many medical organizations gathered from all over thecountry. However, most provided outpatient ser vices
without covering infant healthcare.
In collaboration with nonprofit organization HANDS and
the Japan Primary Care Association (JPCA), JCU set the priority to resume infant health checkups and vaccination programs in Iwate and Miyagi by supplying checkup equipment
such as height and weight scales, examination tables, andtape measures. We also supplied a compact refrigerator for
vaccine storage, the only one in Japan. It functions on threedifferent types of power supplies, including solar. We also
supplied vehicles to local public health personnel for outreach services. As a result, infant health checkup services
were resumed in 18 disaster-stricken cities and towns byJune, covering 27,000 people. On
April 19, Dr. Tomoharu Oki, the only
remaining pediatrician in Rikuzentakata, Iwate, conducted the first
infant health checkups since thedisaster for 4–10 month old children.
The city lost many lives, including aphysician who had examined many
children and five of the seven outDr. Tomoharu Okireach nurses in the town. Dr. Oki

Notification poster about the healthcheckup and vaccination services.
Children receiving health checkups and vaccinations.

8Construction of the Minamisanriku Health Center
The two public health centers in the Shizugawa and Utatsu
districts of Minamisanriku, Miyagi, were destroyed by thetsunami. They borrowed unused classrooms in primaryschools and started up infant health checkup services in June.
“The tsunami wiped out all our furniture and equipment.
UNICEF provided essential items, such as height and weightscales and carpets. UNICEF played a large part in resuming
health services,” reminisced Hatsue Kudo, of Minamisanriku’s
Health and Welfare Department. “However, with the reorganization and reopening of Minamisanriku’s primary schools,
the facility became unavailable for us. Health centers don’t
only provide checkups for infants,” says Ms. Kudo. “Theyprovide places where children can play, and where mothers
and children can meet up with other families. Mothers wereconcerned, because with the disappearance of the health centers, they
had no place to meet anymore andno place to talk with professionals
for childcare.”
In response to the need for atimely reopening of the key healthcenters, JCU decided in November
2011 to support the reopening of the
Hatsue Kudo,
two health centers at the request ofan outreach nurse in
Minamisanriku. The completion date
Minamisanriku.
is set for the end of March 2012.

Obstetricians and Gynecologists Dispatch ProjectIn the hard hit Ishinomaki district, Miyagi, out of the five hospitals or clinics with obstetrics and gynecology, only the Ishinomaki Red Cross Hospital escaped damage. The other four
hospitals or clinics were severely damaged by the tsunami,with two of them being forced to close.
The Abe Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic was one ofthose four damaged facilities. Dr. Yoichi Abe works as the
only doctor with 25 staff members.
Dr. Abe’s own house had been
destroyed, so he and his wife
started living at the clinic when hereopened it. The examination rooms
on the first floor had been completely damaged by the tsunami. To beable to provide examinations andtreatments on the second floor, theDr. Yoichi Abe, chairman ofAbes and two evacuated midwives
the Abe Obstetrics andremoved the mud. Recalling thoseGynecology Clinic, talks
days, Dr. Abe says, “At one point I
about the damage to thefacilities.
thought about giving up on reopening the clinic. However, on the third
day after the disaster, when the flood waters receded, families of patients began walking all the way to the clinic just to
ask if we were reopening. After I heard that two other clinics
had closed, I devoted all my efforts to reopening.”
Tokiko Abe, Dr. Abe’s wife, says, “The day of the disastermarked the 24th anniversary of the clinic. The staff was celebrating and eating osekihan, a rice dish for special occasions,when the earthquake hit. About two-thirds of the staff suffered some kinds of damage from the tsunami. Even underthose conditions, they all were determined to reopen theclinic as soon as possible, and I think that is how wemanaged to live on.” In addition, Dr. Abe treated outpatientsand cleaned up his damaged home, working continuously
without resting. The physical and psychological stress accumulated tremendously. Our partnership with JPCA provided
medical support by dispatching obstetricians and gynecologists to Dr. Abe’s clinic. From June 30 to mid-October, JPCA
dispatched 11 doctors to provide medical support for 370
hours in total.
“Having veteran doctors with us was a big help,” says Dr.
Abe. “Even now, after UNICEF is no longer providing direct
support, we still receive doctors from JPCA. I think there arelots of people around the world who are suffering worse than
we did. At first, we hesitated to accept UNICEF’s assistance,as I believed there were people in other parts of the world
who needed help more than us. I hope to return this favor
someday by helping people in need, like children in Africa.”

Construction site of the Shizukawa Health Care Center.

Dental Checkups for Children in Ishinomaki
The change of lifestyles and diets caused by disasters
increases poor dental health, especially among children. In
Ishinomaki, Miyagi, dental hygienists provided health education at temporary housing complexes, nursery schools, andsocial welfare centers. JCU provided support by distributing
toothbrushes and other dental hygiene products for outreaches. From June to December, our support reached to 1,464
people, 367 adults and 1,097 children, including those withspecial needs.

9Implementing Dietary Guidance for Families with
Nursery School Children and Survey
Irregular diets result in inefficient nutrition for children,
especially in emergencies. With cooperation from HANDS
and Iwate consumer co-operatives, JCU decided to provide
supplemental food for three months to nursery schools andkindergartens in three extensively damaged towns: Rikuzentakata, Otsuchi, and Yamada. At the same time, JCU signed
a program cooperation agreement with the local governments and the Aomori University of Health and Welfare to
analyze the impact of children’s diet. From June to November 2011, we dispatched registered dietitians to implement
and monitor supplemental food programs at nursery schools
in Yamada, Iwate. In addition, they went to evacuation shelters and temporary housings to monitor the diets of children
and to provide dietary guidance to parents and guardians.
They also carried out a survey of dietary habits before andafter the disaster. Newsletters on the analysis were distributed to parents and guardians through nursery schools andkindergartens.
Mika Iwaoka, nutritionist from the Aomori University of
Health and Welfare, worked as a member of the government
offices of Yamada. She says, “After the disaster, many people
lived on instant foods. As soon as the roads were fixed andsupermarkets reopened, the diets of children improved.
However, I can see a trend among orphans to lose weight orretain weight even though they have grown in height. I am
worried about the development of their nutritional status.”
Looking back on her support in the nutrition team in Yamada,
Ms. Iwaoka comments, “I realized that no matter how difficult the situation, children thrive and grow every single day. To
manage the daily diets of children, parents or guardians haveto be physically and mentally sound and stable. I worked toprovide practical information, including recipes for easy
cooking.”

Subsidy for Influenza Vaccinations
Endemic influenza among children was a concern in thewinter of 2011. At disaster sites, there are various reasonsthat can lead to a spread of the disease due to children’s low
immunity, such as high stress and insufficient exercise.
Unlike the past two years with pandemic influenza, seasonal
influenza vaccination is not subsidized in most areas. Therefore, JCU supported influenza vaccinations for a maximumof 160,000 children under 16 years old in 29 coastal towns
of 3 prefectures.
Toshikazu Shinka, the director of
Iwaki health center in Fukushima,
explained, “We truly appreciated thesubsidy from UNICEF. There aresome children in Fukushima who
cannot play outside due to fear of
the effects from the nuclear incident. When they stay inside, their
physical strength and immunity
Toshikazu Shinka says,
become reduced. Then they start to“Learning that UNICEF
fall ill. Some schools are more
was going to provide
crowded after receiving students
assistance was very
happy news.”
from disaster-stricken ones. It
increases the chance of infection.
Under those challenging circumstances, we appreciate UNICEF’s support for influenza vaccinations. Doctors confirmed
the uptake of vaccination has increased much this year, and I
believe it prevented many children from severe conditions.”
The subsidy covered from October 1, 2011, to February
29, 2012, to be in line with health authorities’ vaccination programs. The fund covered 2000 yen per vaccination throughpublic health departments and medical associations. The total
budget was approximately 350 million yen.
JCU support has mobilized public and private subsidies by
Kamaishi medical association, Miyako in Iwate, Shinchi andSoma in Fukushima.

Application process for reimbursement for the influenza vaccination in
Ishinomaki.

The first newsletter on children’s diets, which analyzed the situation after six
months, was distributed to parents at nursery schools in Yamada, Iwate.

10Supplying Primary Schools in Ishinomaki
with Eating Utensils
Of the six school lunch preparation centers in Ishinomaki,
Miyagi, three were rendered unusable by the earthquake. Of
those three damaged centers, Watanoha and Minato School
Lunch Preparation Centers were located along the coastline.
They were flooded by the tsunami, with the buildings half
destroyed and equipment washed away. As a result, Ishinomaki couldn’t adequately provide lunches to the reopened
schools.
Katsuji Sato, member of the Ishinomaki School Education
Board, explains, “Our school lunch service restarted on April
25. We couldn’t procure ingredients or cook, so most of the
primary schools in Miyagi had to make do with only breadand milk. On June 1, Ishinomaki got its three damaged preparation centers operating. From then, we were able to provide
school lunches with boiled and retort pouch foods. Repairs
were completed on another damaged preparation center,
giving us four working centers at the start of the second
school trimester. We were able to switch back to preparedlunches.”
Even though theschool lunches were no
l o n g e r r e t o r t p o u chfoods, they consisted ofonly a bowl of rice andone side dish. A secondside dish was finallyadded in October. Beforet h e d i s a s t e r, s ch o o llunches had consisted ofthree side dishes—asoup and t wo otherdishes. The lunches werestill not back to pre-earthquake standards due tolack of eating utensils“I hope that the children do not forget
the support given through the schooland space to wash andlunches and become generous andstore utensils underconsiderate adults,” says Katsuji Sato.
sterile conditions basedon requests by the Ishinomaki Board of Education. JCU
decided to supply Ishinomaki primary school students with a
total of 15,000 sets of eating utensils. We made preparations
to have them in students’ hands by the start of the new fiscal
year in April.
“I think school lunches are one of the high points in a student’s day,” said Mr. Sato. “We continue to make improvements to return the school lunches to the same number ofdishes as before the disaster by April 2012. I feel a deep
sense of gratitude to UNICEF for supplying us with eatingutensils. I think that when the children see the UNICEF logo
on the eating utensils, they understand that they are enjoying
their lunches because of the support we received. We still
are getting a lot of support from around the world. I hope thatthe children do not forget this, and that in the future they
become adults who will seek to return the favor.”

Supporting Breakfast Service for Children Evacuatedfrom Futaba, Fukushima
After the disaster, some citizens of Futaba, where the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station is located, were evacuated to the former Kisai Nishi High School in Kazo, Saitama. In
response to a request from Futaba, starting April 25, 2011,
JCU provided support in serving breakfast (including milk,
vegetable drinks, yogurt, bread) to the child evacuees at thehigh school. Originally, Futaba requested support until theend of September, but as evacuees still could not return totheir homes, JCU has continued this support service.
Masumi Onoda, member of the Futaba Board of Education, says, “When we first moved to the former Kisai Nishi
High School, there were about 200 children, including highschool students, among the approximately 1,400 evacuees.
On April 8, during the Kisai Nishi primary and junior highschool entrance ceremony, the mayor said that it was important to make sure that children had a proper breakfast before
going to school. We decided to start giving them soup every
morning as supplemental food. However, we didn’t know
how we were going to procure ingredients. In addition, somechildren were getting canker sores and other ailments fromstress and lack of vegetables. We wanted to at least givethem milk. We bought everything from the local supermarket.
However, UNICEF offered to support us through Saitama
Co-op, and we have depended onthem since then. Ever ything is
working smoothly now. UNICEF’s
support has been a great help.”
As of December 2011, somepeople have moved to rented
housing nearby. However, about 560
people, including 40 children, arestill living at the former Kisai Nishi“I am grateful that we got
High School. JCU plans to continue
the timely support,” says
supporting the children’s breakfast
Masumi Onoda.
services.

Distribution of milk for breakfast.

Eating utensils with the UNICEF logo.

11

Education

The evacuees moved to temporary housing in the latterpart of August. In September, Otsuchi Primary School moved
to a temporary prefabricated building constructed in its home
town. Currently, only the Funakoshi Primary School continues
to hold classes in the youth house.
“The school was built 12 meters above sea level but still
the first floor was flooded by the tsunami. Everything waswashed away in the wave,” recalls Michio Sasaki, school principal. The tsunami, which reached 17 meters high, collapsed
the ceiling and warped the floorboards of the gymnasium. In
the latter part of January 2012, demolition of the damagedbuilding began. Now the building is no longer part of the landscape overlooking Funakoshi Bay.
Yamada plans to build a new building for Funakoshi
Primary School on the hill behind the old school, which will be
21 meters above sea level,” says Michio Sasaki. “We’reaiming to open the new school in March 2014. Until then, weplan to continue holding school at the youth house. Over thelast year, we have received support from UNICEF and fromaround the world. I feel gratitude for that help every day.
There is an oriental plane tree at the old school. Undefeatedby the tsunami, has grown new branches and is sprouting
leaves. It is my hope that the children of Funakoshi will be as
resistant to the disaster as the tree and spring up in thesame way.”
Mitsue Kanazawa, the curriculum coordinator of theschool had the following to say. “Since September, thefaculty room has begun to look like a real one. However, we
could have never put together this collection of furniture andfixtures without the help of UNICEF. Right after the earthquake and tsunami, I thought just being alive was enough,but that was just for the moment. Now I feel that without aproper place to teach and the necessary educational materials, it’s difficult for us to teach the children properly. Receiving
stationary supplies and desks, chairs, and other goods
needed by our first and second graders has been a big help.

Back-to-School Campaign
JCU ran a Back-to-School campaign to assist with the restarting of schools. In the first phase, from early April 2011 to theend of May, notebook and stationery sets were distributed in
the disaster areas. A total of 17,540 sets for primary andjunior high school students in Iwate; 6,906 sets in Miyagi; and1,930 sets in Fukushima were delivered. In addition, disasterstricken schools were provided with such office equipment as
photocopiers, printers, and computers.
Based on requests by boards of education and schools in
Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima, other supplies and supplemental materials were also provided. They included school
goods necessary for lessons (gym clothes, Japanese calligraphy sets, sewing sets, recorders, math sets, etc.) as well as
furniture and fixtures and equipment and materials. Up to theend of January 2012, the supplies delivered in our Back-toSchool campaign were valued at over ¥500 million, includingtransportation fees.

Volunteers filling UNICEF’s school bags with stationary and other goods at
a storage facility in Sendai.

Report 1 Funakoshi Primary School(Yamada, Iwate)
Funakoshi Primary School is located in Yamada on the Funakoshi Peninsula. The children escaped harm from the earthquake and tsunami because they were guided to the top of ahill at the back of the school garden—a good decision byfaculty members. However, the ensuing tsunami engulfed
the first floor of the school building. It washed away theclassroom desks and chairs and the furniture and fixtures in
the faculty room. The building was in an unusable condition,
so the school moved to Rikuchukaigan Youth House, locatedon a hilltop six kilometers away. On April 25, 2011, the school
held its opening ceremony. A school entrance ceremony followed on April 26, in which 24 first-graders started school.
Otsuchi Primary School from Otsuchi was also borrowing
space at the youth house. All the rooms in the building werepartitioned to form classrooms. The gymnasium was divided
up into space for the faculties of both schools and three classrooms for Otsuchi Primary School. In addition, there were
evacuated disaster victims living in the dormitories.

Curriculum coordinator
Mitsue Kanazawa

Undefeated by the tsunami, a tree grows
new branches (oriental plane tree)

12cation and teachers to reopen the school. “We distributed
school bags, stationary, and other goods. On April 12, theschool became the first to hold entrance and opening ceremonies. Says vice principal Seiji Abe about the preparations
to reopen the school, “In the second half of March, UNICEF
asked us to provide a list of things we needed to start school
again. They said they were not certain how much they coulddo, but in the end they supplied us with everything requested. After that, the sixth-grade students went on a trip to
Yamagata, sponsored by Yamagata Bus Association. Grades
one to five travelled to Yagiyama Zoological Park in Sendai
with the support of UNICEF. These trips left the students withsome great memories.”“Going to Tokushima and performing with Japanesedrums was fun for me,” says Kenya Suzuki, a sixth-gradestudent. For ten years the fifth- and sixth-graders have practiced on these traditional instruments. The drums and costumes had been washed away by the tsunami, but withsupport from Tokushima Commercial High School, they got
new drums and costumes and began playing again. On
December 11, the sixth-grade students travelled to the
KIZUNA Festival, a traditional festival held by the Tohoku area
and Tokushima. They treated the attendees to the proud
sounds of their drums, beating with the promise of recovery.
Another sixth-grader, Maho Nakamura, talks about her
future aspirations. “After wearing the same clothes for somany days and having no food, I was really happy to receive
daily necessities from UNICEF and other organizations. My
friend’s mother and so many other people helped me. So
when I grow up, I want to become a volunteer of some sort.”

The gymnasium after the disaster: collapsed walls, warped floorboard, andexposed pillars.

Fifth- and sixth-grade students continue to study in the temporary school
facilities. Following the disaster, playgrounds and other areas were filledwith rubble and have been off-limits. It is everyone’s wish that the children
have a place to play to their heart’s content. From left: Naoto Sasaki, Yuka
Sasaki (back row), Hiroe Toyama (front row), Mina Yamazaki, Chisato
Kanahama, Kouhei Yamazaki, and Michio Sasaki, principal.

And the children were able to concentrate on their studies
much better thanks to the electric fans installed in each classroom in the summer. We do have classrooms, but it’s hard
not to have a place where the children can exercise, theyneed it desperately. After all, it is not just about studying—reading, exercise, and other activities help build a sound mind
and body!”Children listening to Ms. Kanazawa vent her concerns
remark, “Well, for exercise we play sumo and have races on
the hill, you know.”

Report 2 Onagawa No. 2 Primary School(Onagawa, Miyagi)
April 12 school entrance and opening ceremony.

Onagawa was one of the areas that suffered severe damage
in the disaster. About 90% of the children at Onagawa No. 2
primary school lost their homes and had to commute toschool from temporary housing or relatives’ homes. Soon
after the disaster, JCU began working with the Board of Edu-

Children receiving stationery sets on the first day of school.

From the left, Kenya Suzuki, vice principal
Seiji Abe, and Maho Nakamura.

13

Under these circumstances, from early April 2011
onwards, JCU held many discussions with Otsuchi Nursery
School and the municipal authorities. The nursery school
obtained land about three kilometers from the old schoolbuilding, and the authorities approved the reopening of thenursery school. JCU decided to provide supplies, including
the necessary furniture and fixtures, and to support the construction of the temporary facilities.
However, when the decision to start constructing the building was made in May, it was not easy to procure construction
materials. Fully aware of the importance of reopening thenursery school, the construction company gave top priority to
procuring the materials and proceeding with the construction.
With this type of wide-ranging cooperation, Otsuchi Nursery
School restarted receiving the children on June 1 for the firsttime in 80 days.
“The damaged school building seemed to have been
gutted by the tsunami, but was still standing. According to an
analysis by the construction company, it still fully met earthquake resistance standards and could be used again after
repairs. Nevertheless, the municipal authorities would notgive their approval. There were quite a lot of mothers thatwork who needed our services immediately, so we searched
for someplace where we could reopen the nursery school.
But in the end we did not find anything suitable,” says Yumiko
Yagisawa, the nursery school principal.
“So, we held a meeting of the council. The chairman said
they should borrow the money, although they had done so tobuild the school building which was damaged by the tsunami.
At that point, a call came in from UNICEF, who we hadalready held discussions with. They had decided to support
the construction of a temporary facility for us. I was so overcome that I couldn’t withheld my team. Even today, tears ofhappiness well up whenever I remember that moment,” says
Ms. Yagisawa.
Ms. Yagisawa had the following to say about her gratitude
for support received and her aspirations for the future.
“Although some of the construction was unfinished, weRebuilding Nursery Schools and Kindergartens Project
JCU is carrying out major repairs and construction of temporary or permanent facilities for nursery school and kindergartens. This activity was requested by public bodies in areas
struck by the major earthquake and tsunami in Iwate, Miyagi,
and Fukushima. We aim to build nursery schools and kindergartens that are safer and even better than those before thedisaster. Rebuilding was based on three basic principles: 1)
create environments that are focused on children and their
participation, 2) create childcare spaces that are warm andchild-friendly, and 3) integrate the facilities with nature andthe local environment. Rebuilding began while taking into
consideration the requests of teachers, child caregivers, thechildren’s parents and guardians, and, of course, the children
themselves.
Progress of the rebuilding projectPrefecture

Name of Facility

Otsuchi Nursery School (Otsuchi,
private) temporary structure
Kirikiri Nursery School (Otsuchi,
private) temporary structure
Iwate
Midori Kindergarten (Otsuchi,
private) temporary structure
Takekoma Nursery School(Rikuzentakata, private) temporary
structure
Himawari Nursery School(Ishinomaki, private) permanent
structure
Oshika No. 1 & No. 2 Nursery
School (Ishinomaki, public)
permanent structure
Inai Nursery School (Ishinomaki,
public) permanent structure
Kesennuma Mothers’ Home
(Kesennuma, public) permanent
structure
Miyagi
Ikkeijima Nursery School(Kesennuma, public) permanent
structure
Asahi Kindergarten (Minamisanriku,
private) permanent structure
Ashinome Kindergarten(Kesennuma, private) permanent
structure
Fuji Kindergarten (Yamamoto,private) permanent structure
Yoshida Nursery School (Watari,
public) permanent structure
Sanpo Nursery School (Iwasaki,
Fukushima
private) temporary structure

NumberofChildren64
50
51Completion Date

May 31, 2011
Mid-August
2011
Mid-January
2012

60

March 31, 2012

70

Mid-November
2011

35

June 30, 2012

90

July 201235

July 2012

90

July 201240

Mid-July 201270

August 2012

80
75
94

July 31, 2012
August 31,
2012
Mid-November
2011
Teachers and staff members prepare Temporary facilities under construction.
to resume nursery school operations
at a temporary facility.

Report 1 Otsuchi Nursery School(Otsuchi, Iwate)
The biggest nursery school in its town, the Otsuchi Nursery
School also serves as a child-rearing support center. The
water from the tsunami rose to within ten centimeters of theroof of the one-story building. While the building structure
remained, all of the furniture and fixtures and equipment andmaterials in the building were washed away. The water seriously damaged the walls and floors. The nursery school
faculty and volunteers cleaned up the building and grounds
and got rid of the mud. However, there was a possibility thatthe area in which the nursery school was located might bedesignated as a danger zone. In that case, authorities would
not approve repairs to the building or the construction of atemporary facility. The only solution left to the nursery school
was to build and a temporary facility in another location.

Nursery school principal Yumiko Yagisawa expressing her determination toraise healthy and happy children at the temporary facilities.

14

started up the nursery school on June 1 with only themorning session. On August 1, we moved to a full schoolday. On September 1, we were able to provide nurseryschool lunches again. Even though almost one year has
passed since the disaster, we still are not truly settled in. But
the children and the teachers are back to a natural flow ofdaily communication. We want to meet the expectations of
UNICEF and the volunteers who helped us to raise healthy
and happy children.”

Report 2 Kirikiri Nursery School(Otsuchi, Iwate)
With 52 years of history since its establishment, Kirikiri
Nursery School was situated close to the coast on FunakoshiBay. The two-story building was totally destroyed andwashed away by the tsunami. Reopening the school seemed
impossible. There was a discussion about future policies at a
meeting of the council that was held by candlelight on March
30, 2011.
“I felt that continuing to run the nursery schooll would bereally difficult, but gained courage from many parents andguardians who said they would wait as long as it took,” says
principal Akemi Haga, upon looking back on the period rightafter the disaster.
“We were facing one problem after another, not only the children but the faculty as well. They had to deal with extremely
difficult conditions daily. Of our 18 faculty members, 13 suffered losses of the disaster, and were living in evacuation
shelters or the homes of relatives. Some of them could not
return to work.
We restarted the nursery school on April 18, with 26 children and 10 staff members. In the beginning, we were using
two rooms of about 20 and 26 square meters on the firstfloor of a private residence. The rooms were full of children
so we did the office work somewhere else.
Because there was not enough room to care properly forthe children in the private home, we searched for a building
with more space. We weren’t able to find one because all of
the larger buildings were being used as evacuation shelters.
Then we heard about Sankodono Kisshoji temple. About 100
evacuees had been moved to temporary housing or new evacuation shelters, and there was space for our nursery school.
So from May 9, we began using space at the temple.”
The space at the temple was not partitioned, so the principal worked alongside the happily playing children, now numbering 32. “I got lots of energy from the children,” says Principal Haga with a smile. They faced difficulties at the time,
however. “The head priest said we could stay as long as welike, but the temple is used for funerals and rituals by the
local community. We knew we couldn’t stay there for long.

Completed temporary facilities

JCU and the nursery school had been holding discussions
since early April. JCU suggested that the nursery school
should find some land to use for a new school building. We
had great difficulty searching for the land. For example, we
finally found one place, but had to abandon it because heavyequipment couldn’t be moved onto the site. After facing
many problems, we found a person who was willing to rent
some private land to the nursery school for five years—and
we finally decided on a construction site.
When UNICEF decided to support us, I felt a great weightlift from my shoulders. When built, the temporary facilities
were only about one-fourth the size of our previous 90-person
capacity building. However, the children grew to love the newplace through helping build the wooden deck and keeping
careful watch over its progress,” says the principal. When the
prefabricated building was finally finished in the hot month ofAugust, Ms. Haga announced to the children gathered in thebuilding, “This is your new nursery school.”“Up to now, we have just called
ourselves the ‘temple nurser yschool.’ But now, even though they
are temporary facilities, this place isKirikiri Nursery School for all thechildren here. Even after they graduate, they will always remember
Kirikiri Nurser y School as theirnursery school,” says Ms. Haga.
She comments that “On Parent’sChildren helping with the
Day in October, many children
building of wooden deck
announced on stage that theywanted to be a Self-Defense Forces soldier or a policeman
when they grew up. This was probably the children indicating
their gratitude in their own way for all the help they havereceived. I would like them to grow up into people who arehelpful to others, and not simply take the assistance theyreceived for granted. We faculty members have been able tosurmount our difficulties to date with the support of the children and those surrounding us. I get the feeling that when I
say to the children ‘let’s do our best’ I have been encouraging
myself as well.”
The smiles have been gradually returning to the faces of
the children and the staff.

Disaster damaged former Kirikiri Nursery
School building

15

Report 3 Asahi Kindergarten(Miyagi)
The facilities of Asahi Kindergarten in Minamisanriku, Miyagi,
were destroyed by the tsunami. The school is now taking
care of 47 children using space borrowed in the Ofune district community center in Iriya, also in Minamisanriku. JCU isbuilding a temporary facility on municipal land nearby theBayside Arena Gymnasium of Minamisanriku.
“We had no prospects of rebuilding after the disaster,”says office manager Yumiko Endo. “We had no place torebuild and were unable to take on more debt in addition to
the loan for the old building. Then we got the call from
UNICEF, who we had been in contact with. They said they
had decided to give us support and we were able to startmoving forward,” she says. “We were really depressed after
the disaster. That was partly because our homes had all been
washed away, but we had also lost our jobs and could see nofuture ahead for us. Starting to work toward the reopening of
the kindergarten, we began to again listen to the needs ofthe children and it gave us strength. The desire to please thechildren and their dependence on us provided power, and I
was reminded that this is one of our reasons for living.
“The children, who had been separated after the disaster,
got together again for the first time on June 10, 2011. At thesuggestion of UNICEF, we started aworkshop to build a model of theideal nursery school with the participation of the children and theirmothers. As the construction of thebuilding progressed, both the architect, Takaharu Tezuka, and the kindergarten principal came to agree on
wanting to build a kindergarten that
“I realized again just how
featured the warm feel of wood. They
wonderful it is to be able tomade a proposal for a building similar
work,” says Yumiko Endo.
to the famous Kyoto temple, Kiyomizudera. The kindergarten principal was also the head priestof a temple called Daiyuji. The cedar trees lining the path to
his temple had been damaged by the tsunami. When thearchitect saw the temple and the damaged trees, he felt it
was symbolic of Minamisanriku and at the same time pictured
what he wanted tobuild as the new kindergarten. Therefore,
they decided to cut
down the trees lining
the path before they
were ruined and use
them in the new
Perspective drawing of New Asahi Kindergarten
kindergarten.

The old Asahi Kindergarten“We lost so much in the disaster, and we are truly gratefulfor the assistance from UNICEF and people from around thecountry. When the new building is finished, we want to find away to express our gratitude and show them just how happy
the children are thanks to their generosity!” says Ms. Endo.

Report 4 Kesennuma Mothers’ Home
(Miyagi)
Established in 1974 as a facility for children with mental or
physical disabilities, Kesennuma Mothers’ Home was moved
in 1983 to the site of the Ikkeijima Nursery School. Since
then, it has continued to serve disabled children. Since fiscal
2006 (ended March 2006), it has also operated under a specified management system as a support center, helping handicapped people become independent and offering child day
care services. Both Kesennuma Mothers’ Home and Ikkeijima Nursery School were only about 300 meters from the sea
and were completely washed away by the tsunami.
In light of these circumstances, JCU decided to support
the construction of facilities for both Kesennuma Mothers’
Home and Ikkeijima Nursery School. Construction of the two
facilities is underway, with the goal of reopening on July 1,
2012 (expected date).
Kesennuma Mother’s Home principal Naoko Utsumi had
the following to say about their experiences.
“The children were in a panic after the disaster. Whilenone of them required medical attention, they became hyperactive and yelled and screamed. Some parents said they
couldn’t stay in the evacuation shelters and ended up staying

The old Ikkeijima Nursery School (Kesennuma
Kesennuma Mother’s Home Mothers Home was been built next to the
Principal, Naoko Utsumi
nursery school)

Photograph taken after the disaster (Photography provided by Kesennuma
City)

A photograph of the devastated Asahi Kindergarten taken about one
month after the disaster on April 15, 2011 from the direction of Shizugawa
Station. Photograph provided by Asahi Kindergarten.

16

washroom and the kitchen repaired. We reopened the school
amid the continued aftershocks from the earthquake with a
bus always waiting in the garden to evacuate us if necessary.
“We realized from an early stage that the only options
were to demolish or rebuild the nursery school. However, we
couldn’t make a decision because we didn’t know how many
children would return, or what the impact of the nuclear incident would be, or what the situation was in the area surrounding us. The chairman of the council decided that it wasworthwhile rebuilding, based on the number of children who
wanted to return at that time. We decided to take a chanceand build a temporary facility. We discussed financial assistance from the authorities, but they told us that it would be
difficult to obtain money this fiscal year. After that we didn’tknow what to do for a while. Then, we found out via the Internet that UNICEF were supporting the rebuilding of facilities.
The vice principal discussed our situation with UNICEF, andwe got a call saying they were going to support us. Of our 26
staff, 17 remained with us. Despite the fact that their own
homes had been destroyed or damaged, they all set to work,
led by the head and vice-head teachers. They did so with asense of mission: they believed that only they could protect
the lives of the children.
Thanks to UNICEF building us a new temporary facility,
we began to see some hope of moving forward based on thefoothold they had given us. We are truly grateful. They haveoffered the extension of the lease, but we don’t want to takeadvantage of UNICEF’s kindness any more than necessary.
So we are now planning to have the city demolish the oldbuilding by the end of March 2012 and have a permanent
facility built within two years.”in their cars. Because of that, I strongly requested that the
new facilities have rooms for mothers and a proper kitchen.
Among the activities for children, cooking is very good
because it teaches them that all things have an order. Whencooking, we gather the ingredients, cook them, and then eat.
In addition, it makes it easy for the mothers to interact. Also,
if another earthquake should happen, it could be used as anevacuation shelter. The new facilities will have a large hallwhere people will be able to stay and have access to cooking
facilities. Therefore, I think it could serve as an emergency
base because evacuees could live under stable conditions.
Right now, we are borrowing the second floor of awelfare center for the elderly. We are taking care of 12 young
children and 25 primary school children. We’re worried about
injuries so we can’t let them run freely. I am looking forward
to letting them play to their hearts’ content when we moveto the new facilities. Also, we want to give the mothers
more time for independent activities. I would like to have themothers be able to live richer lives while also caring for theirdisabled child.”

Report 5 Sanpo Nursery School(Fukushima)
Sanpo Nursery School’s building in Iwaki, Fukushima, wasseverely damaged by the earthquake. There were innumerable cracks in the walls and floors, a fissure appeared in thegarden, and some areas caved in because of liquefaction. The
authorities deemed it unusable, noting all the damage doneto the building and the grounds. As there was no othernursery school to move to, Sanpo Nursery School decided torestart its activities in a relatively safe room on the first floorof the building from March 22. In consideration of the circumstances, JCU decided to support the construction of a temporary facility for Sanpo Nursery School. After the city of
Iwaki had completed the removal and replacement of the
topsoil in the garden (to remove any possible radioactivity),
construction of the building began in September. The nurseryschool was ready to open on November 14.
“At the end of March after the earthquake, we only had
two children wanting to come back to the nursery school,”said Michiko Abe, the nursery school principal. “However, by
the end of the long holidays in May, 83 children had comeback, and now we are up to 97. Many of the mothers areyoung , raising children whileworking, and just making ends
meet. In response to their requests,
we looked for a space in community
centers and other public buildings,
but we couldn’t find anything to rent.
I immediately had an architectassess the damage to our building,and he reported that the first floor
Nursery school principal
was relatively sound. So, I had the“Thank you, everybody!” from children at the completed temporary facility.

Michiko Abe.

Children going on their first walk from the new facilities.

Views of the damaged nursery school building

17everyone, not just the children of
Onagawa No. 2 Primary School.
	  U N I C E F C h i l d r e n’s M i n i
Library Project sets were put touse in many situations. A bookcorner was set up in the gymnasium of the former Kisai Nishi
High School in Kazo, Saitama,
which was serving as a shelter
for evacuees from Futaba inFukushima. Toshikatsu Nakazato
Toshikazu Nakazato
from the Futaba Health andWelfare Department said, “There are evacuees from towns
other than Futaba in Kazo. We hope they will feel free to bring
their children here to play so that the book corner can serve
as a place for socializing among evacuees.”

UNICEF Children’s Mini Library ProjectThis project started two weeks after the earthquake, on
March 25, with the cooperation of the Japanese Board on
Books for Young People (JBBY). Collected from donors acrossthe nation, the books were delivered to evacuation shelters,
kindergartens, nursery schools, primary schools, and othercommunity bodies in the disaster areas. At its conclusion in
December 2011, the UNICEF Children’s Mini Library Project
had delivered approximately 330,000 books (more than 6,500
sets) to such facilities.
At Shiogama No. 2 Primary School in Miyagi, there are 48
children from grades one to two who cannot go home after
school because their parents are working. The children wait
for them at the “Children’s Club” up to 6 p.m. Club instructorsays, “The children are happy enough at school, but when
they go home to a temporary shelter or an unrepaired home,they each have to deal with the reality of the lingering scars
from the disaster. Every day I watch them happily open andread one of the illustrated books sent to us. It seems that
this is a peaceful, relaxing time for them as they wait for theirparents.”

Finding Safe Places to Play Outside School in Miyagi
After the disaster, it was important to find a place where children could spend time enjoyably and safely. Particularly forthe children living in evacuation shelters, where there was aconcern that spending most of their time outside school at
the evacuation shelters could lead to psychological instability.
For that reason, JCU supported the construction or reconstruction of indoor facilities in Miyagi where children could
play safely.
Because of the disaster, Onagawa No. 1 and No. 4
primary schools had moved their classes to Onagawa No. 2
Primary School. After school, there was no space for the children to spend time before going home. On October 31, 2011,at the request of the Board of Education and Principals’ Committee of Onagawa, JCU decided to build the Onagawa
Orange House on the grounds of the No. 2 Primary School.
Construction was completed on December 22. Plans call for
the Onagawa Orange House to be used not only by children
when they are going to school, but also as a meeting place
for children and their mothers on holidays.

A mountain of books collected from aroundthe nation in the parking lot at the UNICEF
House in Tokyo.

Onagawa Little Picture Book Center
The town of Onagawa in Oshika, Miyagi, was making preparations to open a picture book library in June 2011 when thetsunami hit, sweeping away their nearly 40,000 picture
books. However, the lost books were replaced with about
5,000 picture books donated by the UNICEF Children’s Mini
Library Project, private organizations, and companies. With
the help of designers, JCU planned the layout, book displays,
and other elements. On May 10, the Onagawa Little PictureBook Center opened on the third floor of Onagawa No. 2
Primary School.
“Libraries are built mainly to be used for studying, but the
Onagawa Little Picture Book Center is colorful and bright. It is
designed as a space for nursery school and primary school
children to look at picture books and play,” says Ayumi Kakei,
a member of the Continued Learning Department, Board of
Education of Onagawa, responsible for the facility. Since July
25, the Onagawa Little Picture Book Center has been moved
next to the entrance to the building on the first floor of theschool so that it can become familiar to and widely used by

Scene of the Completion Ceremony for the Onagawa Orange House.

JCU also decided, at the request of the town, to rebuild
the after-school care center of the disaster-stricken MinamiKesennuma Primary School. Construction is moving forwardwith a scheduled completion date of April 30, 2012 (expecteddate). Minami-Kesennuma Primary School restarted its
classes at Kesennuma Primary School. The after-school carecenter next door to Minami-Kesennuma Primary School thatwas destroyed by the tsunami also moved to Kesennuma
Primary School and set up temporary operations in a classroom. As continuing to use the classroom would be difficult,it was decided to build a facility on the grounds of Kesennuma Primary School. The after-school care facility will be used
not only by children from both primary schools. After completion, 40 children are expected to start using the facility.

Onagawa Little Picture Book Center18

Up to now, JOCA has provided the services of eight caregivers on a short-term basis and four caregivers on a longterm basis. This support has helped the disaster-stricken
areas continue to provide child-rearing and childcare support.
Yamada’s Child-Rearing Support Center, one of the centers
receiving dispatched caregivers, is located in the Orikasa
Nursery School. Since the nursery school is situated on highground and fortunately suffered no damage from the disaster,
it was designated as an evacuation shelter. Until August 7, 33
evacuees lived there. The nursery school began partial services from April 1, 2011, and resumed full services on June 1.
Prior to the earthquake, the Child-Rearing Support Center had
been scheduled to be privatized during the fiscal year.
However, after the disaster, the town could not provide a
staff, and services were suspended. In the days following thedisaster, Kyoko Kawabata, the nursery school principal,
served many roles. In addition to her daily work as nurseryschool principal, she dealt with the evacuees staying at thenursery school. As the head of the Child-Rearing Support
Center, she went to evacuation shelters, visited with motherswith nursery school children, handed out snacks for the children, and conferred with mothers about their problems.
Ms. Kawabata had the following to say about that time.
“Listening to what the mothers had to say, I clearly understood that they wanted the center reopened. For that reason,
I wanted to reopen as quickly as possible so the children
would have somewhere to play. When I heard that UNICEF
made arrangements for JOCA to send us child caregivers, I
was really happy. At first, I was worried that the caregivers
might not be able to do their jobs, because they were comingfrom other areas of Japan and not used to our way ofworking. However, it turned out to be no problem at all as
they quickly blended in as both caregivers and workers.”
Child caregiver Sayuri Tsuruta was involved from November to the end of March 2012. “I had just come back fromworking as a volunteer nursery school teacher with the Japan
International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in Chongquing,
China,” she said. “Hearing about the earthquake while in
China, I decided I wanted to help with the recovery of thedisaster area next. I am doing my best to be whatever help I
can to the people of Yamada.”

On January 6, 2012, the Donguri Children’s Library openedin Natori, Miyagi. The reopening of the prefecture’s local libraries seemed possible, with the Natori Public Library being theonly exception. In mid-October, at the request of Natori city
authorities, JCU decided to provide support. There had been
substantial damage to the building, but fortunately the books
were not damaged. By using the damaged library’s garage
and the travelling library bus, JCU was able to start lendingout some of the books.

Parents and children visiting the View of Natori Public Library around thetime it reopened using the garage and thejust completed Donguri
travelling library bus.
Children’s Library.

Dispatching Child Caregivers
After the disaster, it was important to rapidly reopen childcare
centers to enable families with nursery school children to
rebuild their lives. Nursery schools in the disaster-stricken
areas did their best to reopen quickly. However, many of thechild caregivers themselves were victims of the disaster, andhad to continue work without enough time to recover. Concerned with the physical and psychological stress among
caregivers, JCU arranged for emergency support in cooperation with the Child Caregiver Committee of the Tokyo Councilof Social Welfare and The Japan Overseas Cooperative Association (JOCA). They dispatched child caregivers for short- andlong-term periods to nursery schools in Otsuchi and Yamada
in Iwate. During the period from July 1 to December 31, theChild Caregiver Committee dispatched a total of 76 volunteer
child caregivers to five nursery schools, providing childcare
support for the equivalent of 286 days.

Supporting Participation in Tohoku Junior High School
Regional Athletic Meets and Rookie Tournaments
JCU wanted the junior high and high school students in thedisaster-stricken coastal areas of Iwate and Miyagi to be able
to demonstrate the results of their training efforts andcompete to qualify for national sports events, just like the students in other areas of Japan. Therefore, support was provided to students from the disaster-stricken areas who wanted
to participate in the regional athletic meets, held from May
until July 2011. Following that support, financial assistance forthe expenses of 420 students to participate in the Tohoku
Junior High School Regional Athletic Meet and the Rookie
Tournament was also provided. The students were fromjunior high and other schools in the coastal region of Iwate
that was struck by the earthquake and tsunami. Participatingin such major sports events is the dream of many children.
Watching their determined performances in the competitions
thrilled many people. The efforts of the students also provided some much needed positive news for the people in disaster areas.

Upper right: Child caregiver Sayuri Tsuruta talking to children at theChristmas party.
Upper left: Kyoko Kawabata, Orikasa Nursery School principal and head of
the Child-Rearing Support Center

19

Psychosocial Support

What is psychosocial support?
Following the earthquake, JCU has been providing assistancein the fields of education, health, nutrition, and child protection. In addition, activities also encompass measures toensure the mental and psychological health of children andpeople who care for them. Psychosocial support, based oninternational standards established by the Inter-Agency
Standing Committee (IASC)*, means providing assistance forthe psychological stability of children, following basic support
required for survival. Extending this support must be basedon relationship with the children and communities. This baseis used to foster a safe and secure environment for children
and their guardians. After a disaster, there are always children
who require psychological support from professionals. To
provide this assistance, there must be a place where children
can receive the proper care. Children need access to childcare professionals, teachers, and public health nurses withspecialized skills as well as clinical psychologists and pediatric
psychiatrists.
(Supervised workers)

psychological or
psychiatric supports

Support by trained andsupervised workers

support as well. Many guardians and teachers suffered fromterrifying experiences just as children did. Training gives
adults the specialized knowledge required to talk to children
with confidence. Furthermore, training sessions are a place
where adults can extend support to each other. Giving adults
a feeling of security plays a key role in their ability to provide
support for children.
“After the disaster, there were instances where children
reenacted the earthquake and tsunami by playing what could
be called ‘the tsunami play.’ I have heard that many nurseryschool and kindergarten teachers have seen children playing
in a slightly different way than before the earthquake. How
should an adult deal with the child’s feelings? What should
they do and say? I believe that we must supply places where
adults can receive specialized advice on a continuing basis.”* IASC is the primary mechanism for inter-agency coordination ofhumanitarian assistance. It is a unique forum involving key UN and nonUN humanitarian partners.

Support activities with the Japan Association
for Play Therapy
Unlike adults, children are unable to immediately express
their thoughts in words. This explains why children often use
play as a means of expression of feelings and experiences. At
play therapy seminars, clinical psychologists provide specialized knowledge about this subject to guardians and teachers
who spend time with children every day. Psychologists
discuss the behavior of children who have had a frightening
experience, as well as how to use play so that the children
can retain a sense of security. Other topics at the seminars
include how to talk to children who have lost a family
member in a disaster and how to use songs and playing toease the fears that often accompany a disaster. Seminars andclasses were held in Iwate and Miyagi starting at the end of
March 2011. By the end of December, these events had been
held at 74 locations. Approximately 1,520 people representing
230 schools, associations, and other organizations attended
the events.

(Support programs)Child
psychiatrist
Clinical
psychotherapist,
pediatrician
Nursery staff,
health nurse

Community and family supports

Basic services and security of children

Play Therapy
Psychological Care Program for nurseryschool children of the Fukushima Societyof Clinical Psychologists

Educational Support
Child‐Friendly Spaces

Health and Nutritional
SupportNote: This chart was developed by JCU based on “IASC Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings,” issued in 2007.

An intervention pyramid for psychosocial support

JCU has provided support to nursery school children, theirguardians, and other adults who have contact with children inaccordance with this international standard. To extend thisassistance, cooperation with the Japan Association for Play
Therapy (Iwate, Miyagi) and the
Fukushima Society of Certified Clinical Psychologists was build.
Clinical psychologist Takako Yuno
is a psychological support adviser at
the JCU Emergency Assistance
Headquarters. “After a disaster, psychological care provided by adults
with whom the children are familiar
Takako Yuno talks about
with produces the best results,” shethe importance ofsays. “This includes parents, teachpsychological care for
ers, and other adults the children
children after a disasterfeel comfortable with. This is why it
is important to provide these adults with training. They needspecialized skills to understand how children feel during andafter an emergency and how to make them feel more secure.
Creating an environment that can put children at ease is also
important. However, the adults who assist children need

Ryoko Honda, a psychosocial support adviser at JCU from the Japan
Association for Play Therapy, leads a play therapy seminar for nurseryschool teachers in Sendai.

20

ward. Locating more people to perform these duties was vitalto continuing these support activities. This is why JCU
decided to help with the provision of mental health professionals. With the cooperation of the Japan National Council ofChild Family Support Center, nine specialists from child andfamily support centers nationwide were sent to serve people
who come to the Kesen Child Care Center and provide telephone consultations. The nine specialists performed theseduties from October to March. “Three of our employees losta family member and eight lost their homes,” says Taiyo
Gakuen manager Makoto Kariya, “but they continued tosupport children while helping each other to deal with this difficult situation. We are grateful for the support that made thispossible. Recreation and sports areas at elementary andjunior high schools in our region are now filled with temporary
housing. Children don’t have many places to play or enjoy
sports. The area around Taiyo Gakuen suddenly became thelocation of about 600 houses with more than 1,000 residents.
Rebuilding in this area will take a long time, but everyone at
Taiyo Gakuen is dedicated to doing our best to help the children in our area.”

Psychological care activities for mothers and children
JCU asked the Fukushima Society of Clinical Psychologists to
conduct a psychosocial support program for mothers withnursery school children. Clinical psychologists and childcare
professionals were sent to evacuation centers, temporary
housing facilities, and public health centers. Mothers attended group work sessions with clinical psychologists, and children received psychosocial support as they played with thechild care professionals. The program started in late June. By
the end of December, events had been held 170 times at 74
places in Fukushima. They were attended by 1,318 adults and1,464 children, totaling 2,782 participants. “When we started
the program, there were mothers with enormous stress whobegan to cry when they tried to talk,” says Kanae Narui, vicepresident of the Fukushima Society of Clinical Psychologists.
“As time went by, the level of stress slowly decreased.
However, for mothers with small children, it is not easy tocope with concerns and stress regarding the radiation
problem. I want people to use these gatherings to reach theirown decisions after sharing information and opinions withother participants. Also, I want them to have the confidence
to continue living in the places where they were born andraised.” Activities are held at many locations. Psychologists
hold consultations at clinics for infants. They also visit temporary housing facilities and conduct training sessions for publichealth nurses. The program will continue into fiscal 2012
because of the long-term nature of this problem.

Support for bus field trips for children
JCU has provided assistance for bus field trips in the spring
and fall for children who live in disaster-stricken areas of
Iwate and Fukushima. These trips gave children the opportunity to spend an enjoyable day while forgetting about theirworries.
In Iwate, children living in places where debris still
remains went on UNICEF Children’s Bus Field Trips in May
and June. Destinations included playgrounds, amusement
facilities, and other places where children can play outdoors.
In September and October, we provided support for outingscalled UNICEF Chakko-Ikko Bus Field Trips that wereplanned by nursery schools and kindergartens in damaged
areas. A total of 3,485 people took part in these trips. There
were 1,934 children from 37 nursery schools and kindergartens in seven municipalities and 1,551 guardians and schoolstaff members.
In Fukushima, the Let’s Play! The Outdoors Playtime
Project was held from May to August and from October toNovember. As of the end of November, the total number ofparticipants in the project was 40,173, including nurseryschool and kindergarten students from nine municipalities inFukushima and their guardians.
“Several students at my school have lost a parent or saw
the tsunami. Taking part in this project made children andguardians smile, and staff members like me were also happy
to see this,” said one participant from Iwate. A participantfrom Fukushima remarked that “not being able to playoutside because of the nuclear plant incident has made children physically weaker andalso lowered their spirits. I
was very happy to see children have the opportunity toplay to their hearts’ content.”

A group work session in the city of Shirakawa in Fukushima.

Kanae Narui (center), vice president of the Fukushima Society of ClinicalPsychologists, talks about upcoming activities with team members.

Dispatch of Psychologists to Kesen Child Care Center
The Kesen Child Care Center was established in July 2011 at
Taiyo Gakuen, a child family support center in the Kesen district of Iwate (cities of Ofunato, Rikuzentakata, and Sumita).
Three psychologists work at Taiyo Gakuen’s child and family
support center. Immediately after the earthquake, thesethree individuals started visiting evacuation centers, nurseryschools, kindergartens, and temporary housing facilities. They
checked on the condition of children and provided assistanceto children, mainly of nursery school age, and their parents.
Although they were also disaster victims themselves, they
continued to make these visits in addition to doing theirregular work without sufficient time off in March and after-

Children have fun making mochi(rice cakes) at Tono Furusato
Village.

21

Child Protection

Prevention of Child Abuse through Radio Commercials,
Flyers, and Other Support Materials
JCU has produced radio commercials that call attention to theneed to prevent child abuse. This campaign disseminatedmessages aimed at children, parents and guardians, andadults. In addition, the campaign told the public how tocontact an organization that specializes in this issue to reportproblems and receive consultations. Naoki Ogi, a well-known
expert in the field of education, also
cooperated with the production ofthese messages. To broadcast thecommercials, JCU asked for thecooperation of many radio stations,
including community FM stations
and earthquake recovery FM broadcasts.
In response to a request from theChildren and Families Division of
Iwate Prefecture Department of
Health and Welfare, 15,800 flyers thatcall for the prevention of domestic
An abuse prevention flyer
violence and child abuse and provide
distributed in Iwate
contact information for consultations were prepared. These flyers were distributed by local
governments along the prefecture’s Pacific Ocean coast. Fileholders with a message about child abuse prevention andcontact information for consultations were distributed to all
households of Yamada in Iwate. The aim is to make everyone
more aware of the need to prevent this problem.

Collaboration with J-CAPTA to Prevent Child Abuse
JCU is cooperating with the Japan CAP Training & Action(J-CAPTA) in promoting a project that protects children’s
rights, prevents abuse, and supports people in recovering
their innate zest for life during the ongoing reconstruction
process. Cooperation entails implementation of the Child
Assault Prevention (CAP) Program, an educational programthat teaches children how to protect themselves from all kindsof violence including physical and psychological abuse. In
October and November 2011, CAP specialists training seminars were held in Morioka and Sendai. About 70 adults,
including students and professionals who are willing to workfor disaster-stricken areas, completed this 40-hour training
program and registered as CAP specialists. These new specialists joined CAP groups in seven areas in Iwate, Miyagi, andFukushima. CAP workshops were held for children at nurseryschools, kindergartens, primary schools, and child care facilities in damaged areas and evacuation sites. By the end ofJanuary 2012, there were 13 workshops held at primaryschools in Miyagi and 2 workshops held in Fukushima, withan attendance of 407 children. Workshops were also held forat those who protect and watch over children, such as parents
and guardians, teachers, and local child social welfare
workers. By the end of January 2012, 20 of these workshopswith an attendance of 313 in Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima
were held.
One of the lecturers, Sachiko Ishizuki (J-CAPTA Trainer),said that, “Even if children try to hide their feeling of discomfort, these feelings will never disappear. Children will
also present signs; signs to tell you that they want you tounderstand something. It is important that adults listen towhat children say, affirm their feelings, and work to create
an environment where they can feel accepted.” Local
welfare counselors Michiko Ueno and Nobuko Abe set up aworkshop in Yamada in Iwate. “We hope that this workshop
enables children to always be able to seek the advice ofadults and help in making Yamada Town a place without childabuse,” they told us. “We aim to promote a style of urban
development that will one day allow children to be proud of
their town.”

Strengthening Support for Single Fathers and Their
Children
JCU collaborated with NPO Niiza Childcare Support Networkin September to extend support for single fathers and theirchildren. Seminars were conducted for the staffs at childcare
facilities such as nursery schools, kindergartens, child consultation centers, and temporary facilities. The seminars werealso conducted for the leaders of the temporary housing
union. Participants learned knowledge and skills for improving
their communication with single fathers. These individuals are
named “Father Supporters” in their communities. The objective is to prevent the neglect of children and domestic violence. Two of these seminars had been held in Sendai and six
in Ishinomaki as of the end of December 2011, totaling 107

November 21 CAP workshop for adults in Yamada, Iwate

A Father Support Specialist seminar held in Ishinomaki on December 922

my activities. Some people may think that they don’t have to
make that much of an effort because, after all, their communities are temporary. However, fathers should come together
to support each other. I think the resulting relationships will
last for a long time, even after they leave the temporary
housing.” These remarks by Mr. Nakano show the spirit of the
Father Supporters and their dedication to continue enjoyable
events that can maintain networks among fathers in theircommunities.

participants. Furthermore, there have been 10 events organized by Father Supporters as of the end of January 2012,
including gatherings with mochi (rice cakes) and potato soup.
Overall, 201 people, 120 adults, and 81 children participatedand enjoyed these opportunities for networking.
Nobuyuki Nakano lives in temporary housing in Ishinomaki, Miyagi . As a Father Supporter, he organized two events.
One event was a Christmas party for fathers, featuring cakebaking, held with children at the temporary housing on
December 25. The other event was a visit to the Anpanman
Museum (a popular Japanese cartoon character) in January.
“Often the head of a household fails to be the main
source of support. This is also true with me,” says Mr.
Nakano. “These people have no job and a mortgage. Many
fathers who are victims of the earthquake and tsunami are ina similar situation. They suffer from extreme frustration. So
they hide from others and rarely go out.” He goes on to note
that, “These fathers don’t want to merely receive assistance.
They have a desire to act on their own and do whatever they
can to help. I want as many fathers as possible to participate
in these events. If fathers can build a network among themselves, they can provide help to each other. This is the goal ofChildren enjoy a cake they
decorated with their fathers

Mr. Nakano helped plan and hold theChristmas Party

Tegami Project

UNICEF Tree of Prayer Project

JCU has received more than 2,000 letters from children in
about 30 countries expressing their encouragement to children living in disaster-stricken areas of Japan. The Tegami
Project, which started on July 15, involves distributing
these letters to children in Japan so that all the children
who sent letters can receive a response. By the end of
December, letters had been delivered to nursery schools
and kindergartens in 18 locations.
The delivery of letters is accompanied by activities tofoster deeper relationships and understanding among thepeople of different countries.
JCU will continue this project with the aim of fostering
the dreams of children in disaster-stricken areas by relationships with children in other countries.

JCU wanted to do something to make children truly happyon their first Christmas following the earthquake. This
desire led to the start of the UNICEF Prayer Tree Project.
Ornaments on the tree were fabricated by about 2,000 professional designers at companies and students at art universities. The hand-made ornaments were sent along withtrees and soft toys and were delivered to 36 locations.
Facilities receiving the ornaments included nursery schools
and kindergartens in Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima. They
were also sent to a Christmas party in the Tokyo area forchildren who were forced out of their homes by the earthquake. In the Tohoku region, 975 children took part in an
ornament-making drive that was an enjoyable experiencefor everyone involved. Furthermore, large Christmas trees
displaying these ornaments were placed at five department
stores in Tokyo, two in Sendai, and in Kesennuma Alley inFukko Yatai Mura (Reconstruction Village) as a wish for thehappiness of the children of Tohoku.

© JCU/2011/K.Goto

Children at a nursery school in
Iwate make ornaments.
Students of YumotoHigh School in
Fukushima receive
letters fromAfghanistan.

Yuji Taketomo of
UNICEF Afghanistan
Country Officearrives at Kabul
Airport with lettersfrom students at
Yumoto-Minami
High School.

A girl in Afghanistan
receives a letter froma student at YumotoHigh School in
Fukushima.

Decorating a tree withornaments sent from all overJapan and ornaments which
they themselves made23

A Big Prayer Tree at a
department store in Tokyo

Child-Friendly Reconstruction Plans“Playground equipment can be used for many years withproper maintenance,” says Eiji Hirose of the Local Facilities
Department. “So this equipment can be moved to children’sparks which will be built in a new community in the future.
This means the equipment can remain along with the memories of children who used them even if the equipment goesto a different place. So this is an important task because I am
helping to create something for children that will remain withthem in the future.”

Listen to children when rebuilding communities!
Work is moving forward to rebuild and restore communities
in disaster-stricken areas. Every area has established reconstruction plans that reflect guidelines established by thenational and prefectural governments. To create child-friendly
reconstruction plans, JCU is acting as an advocate for children and providing technological assistance. The wishes ofchildren should be a major element of reconstruction plans.
Furthermore, we want children should have the opportunity
to participate in creating plans for the reconstruction of communities and neighborhoods. In order to realize this, collaboration with many specialists from universities, institutes, andcorporations is taking place. As of the end of December,
Otsuchi, Iwate, Onagawa, Miyagi, and Soma, Fukushima,
were participating in this initiative.
Building Parks for Children in Otsuchi
JCU wants to give children the opportunity to take part in theearthquake recovery and reconstruction process so they canhelp create communities that are safe and enjoyable. Activities in the municipalities of Otsuchi, Onagawa, and Soma arebeing supported. One project is the Otsuchi Children’s Park.
In the aftermath of the tsunami’s destruction, residents of
Otsuchi voiced desires to replace the damaged facilities withnew facilities so that children can play. JCU is currently providing assistance for the establishment of children’s parks in
two locations. The parks will be on the grounds of support
centers at two temporary housing facilities. Work is proceeding with the goal of opening the parks by the end of April.
There will be playing equipment imitating a pirate ship and acastle. The designs were inspired by a TV program for children that was popular in the late 1960s. The show used
Hourai Island in the nearby Otsuchi Bay as the main model ofthe island which appears in the show.
A workshop was held on October 23 by the Otsuchi Local
Facilities Department to hear what kind of parks the residents
wanted. About 20 nursery school children attended this event.
They drew pictures using five colors of crayons to show thecolors they wanted for playground equipment. Parents andguardians were asked to select the designs they wanted forslides, stairways, and other park facilities. Workshop participants voted to choose from the children's drawings. Two wereselected: a drawing by Ibuki Koshida (age 4) and his sister Iori(age 2), and a drawing by Yuuma Sekiya (age 2).
“There were lots of places for children to play before thetsunami,” says Tatsuya Sekiya, the father of Yuuma and amember of the Otsuchi-cho Welfare Department. “One park’s
playground equipment installed two months before the earthquake and tsunami occurred and it was washed away. There
was no reconstruction plan, but UNICEF contacted to ask ifthey could help build a park for the children. It has truly
helped us.”“I want places where children can come along and playwith everyone else who lives here,” says Haruki Kubo, amember of the Local Facilities Department. “The goal of the
Otsuchi government is to create a community with parks sothat the town can be a pleasant place to live.”

A rendering of playground equipment based on a children’s drawing

Soma creates a child-friendly reconstruction plan
Damage from the earthquake and tsunami was massive inthe city of Soma, Fukushima. The city held an event, “Reporton the Great East Japan Earthquake by the Children ofSoma” at the Soma City Assembly Building on November 6.
The objective was to allow children to share their views of
the disaster and identify issues that require attention. Establishing a clear vision for the future of Soma was another goal.
JCU provided support for this event, which was held by
the Soma Board of Education. Holding the event gave children an opportunity to express their views of Soma as theirhome town. The aim was to enable rebuilding the city in amanner that is friendly for children based on the input of children. The gathering was attended by three representatives
from each of Soma’s 10 primary schools and five junior highschools. Each student talked about subjects that were determined at their respective schools. Themes were selected forschools, questionnaires were distributed, and class discussions were held. Presentations covered many subjects:
where the children were immediately after the disaster, theeffect on their families, what the disaster made them realize,
their wishes, and their strong desire for the reconstruction ofSoma and a bright future for the city.

24Student Presentation for “Report on the Great East Japan Earthquake by the Children of Soma”

Looking back on the Great East Japan Earthquakeand our wishes for the future.
“I’m afraid. I don’t want to die.”“Hikari, I don’t want to die.”Right in front of me, Yukina wastalking about her fear of dying. Whenthe big earthquake hit, we dove under
our desks and frantically held on to
the shaking desk legs. The shaking
lasted a long time as it became evenany stronger, and there was a loudrumbling sound. Fluorescent lights
hanging from the ceiling were shaking
left and right like swings. It looked likethey would fly off at any time. Even
without saying anything, we knew thateveryone was terrified that the school
would collapse and we would all die.
The teacher had a frantic look andwas not sure about the best timing for
us to run outside. That’s when I heard
Kazuki yell to the teacher:“Teacher, we can’t stay here. This
isn’t an ordinary earthquake. We haveto escape.”“Teacher, let’s go outside.”
Finally, the teacher responded: “Yes,everyone go outside.”
When we ran into the school yard,
all the other classes were still in theirrooms. So our teacher ran back. “Getout in the yard quickly, the classrooms
are dangerous,” he said. Powerful
tremors continued after everyone wasin the school yard. Many students
started to cry. It was a cold day withsleet. Lots of students were shaking in
the cold. Some students wereembraced by teachers or mothers whorushed to the school. We all divided up
into our respective grade levels andendured the fear and the cold.
At last the shaking began to subside.
Grandparents and parents ran to theschool to see if their children were
safe. Then everyone started rushinghome. But no one knew that a tsunami
far bigger than anyone could imagine
had struck. The tsunami stopped about
200 meters from the school. Water was
filled with lots of debris like automobiles, fishing boats, columns fromdestroyed houses, and pine trees.
The tsunami washed away the homeof only one student at our school. But
we started a new battle with radiation
12 days later because of the nuclear
power plant incident. Many people
had to leave Soma because of thefrightening radiation, something we
can’t see or smell. About 40% of thestudents at our school escaped to other
cities and prefectures. Only people
who had no alternative but to stay in

Soma remained. They wanted toescape but were unable to leave.
In the Nittaki district, electricity andwater were cut off for a long time.
Many people even had trouble finding
food. We couldn’t use the telephone
and there was no gasoline to buy or
merchandise in stores.
A friend of someone in my classspent a week living by candlelight. The
biggest problem of all was the lack ofwater. We went to the distant house ofa relative many times to bring backwater. It was very difficult for ourmothers and fathers.
The school finally reopened on April
18. We will never forget how happy
we were to see our friends and teachers again. We patted each other on theshoulders and smiled as we shared ourjoy. That was the first time in a monththat we could talk loudly about our
feelings with friends. However, worries
about radiation were increasing day
after day.
The school principal held classes
about radiation early in June andagain in October. We kept on asking
questions for two hours for the
October session. Through those special
lesson, we gained a small understanding of radioactivity and radiation. We
learned about how to live in a way to
avoid exposure to radiation, aboutfood safety, the spread of harmful
rumors, and how we should lead ourlives. The lesson gave us all a great
sense of security.
We have to live for the next 20 or
30 years without giving in to radiation. It is our role to live toughly here
in Soma while helping with its recovery and reconstruction.
The Great East Japan Earthquake
claimed many lives. Furthermore,
many houses were destroyed and precious parts of the natural environment
were lost, including Soma’s Matsukawaura lagoon. We learned a lesson
about the immense power of nature.
We were sad beyond words, and there
were many days filled with worry.
However, we were also able to learn
about the warmth and kindness ofpeople. The military, firefighters, police
officers, and volunteers from all overJapan looked for the missing, removed
debris, and did other jobs. Also, there
were donations of supplies and moneyfrom overseas.
I have studied the Matsukawaura
lagoon. It is one of the few places in

25Japan where seawater and fresh water
come together. It was home to an
endangered dragonfly species. You
could see the tiny himehakka flowers.
The Ashy Minivet, a rare bird from
Korea, often came to the lagoon. Thisrich natural environment was treasure
trove of plants and animals and a precious place for them.
The earthquake and tsunami severely
damaged this ecosystem of plants andanimals. We want to see Matsukawaura return to its original state. We want
this place to support life again.
We have heard that the city of Soma
has created a basic plan for reconstruction. Every citizen of Soma needs tohave a dream about the future of ourcity so that we can move forward,
step-by-step, starting with what can bedone now.
We cannot see a specific dream yet,but we have wishes. We want to see
the restoration of rich natural environments like Matsukawaura and theUdagawa River where children canplay freely. We want to see the creationof a living environment that cannot be
severely damaged by natural disasters.
And we want to see new companies,
factories, research centers, and otherplaces where people can work.
Our wish is to make the city ofSoma a place of joy and hope forpeople, and to hear them say:
“I’m glad that I was born and raisedin Soma.”“I’m going to stay in Soma.”
Rebuilding Soma will probably
require 20 to 30 years. This will be ourlives.
We will study hard and use our
wisdom so that we can contribute to
the creation of Soma’s future.
A report by Kazuki Yamao, Hikari
Monma, and Shuto Yamamoto, sixthgrade students at Soma Nittaki
Primary School

We will never forget the day
The memories of the day will be inscribed in our hearts and remembered
as the starting point for the new future.
Children and the 2011 Japan
Earthquake and Tsunami – UNICEF
at Work
The photo exhibition tour, which centers onchildren in disaster-stricken areas, started
at the Tokyo International Forum. It will also
be displayed in the United Nations building
gallery in New York in March 2012. The pictures were taken by photographers working
for 25 media companies in Japan and by 21
other photographers. A long-term assistance is sought for by this exhibition.
* Kenichi Shindo assisted with exhibition planning andphotograph selection; exhibition support was provided
by Japan Newspaper Museum, Tokyo Press
Photographers Association, Tohoku Press
Photographers Association, NIKON Corporation,
CANON Inc., Fujifilm Corporation, and Tamron Co., Ltd.

Agnes Chan, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for Japan, andchildren enjoy make believe play of driving a train while colorfulcarp banners fly above them. The number of students at Shimoyanagi
nursery school, which is on the brink of closing down as a resultsof dropping of the number after the disaster, increases up to 46
recently because children from Takekoma Kindergarten havebeen transferred to this school.—Photo by Kenichi Shindo on 30
April 2011, in Rikuzentakata City, Iwate Prefecture)© UNICEF/Japan 2011/Giacomo Pirozzi

The EYE SEE TOHOKU ProjectChildren of Namie Town, Fukushima Prefecture sleep in a
gymnasium after evacuating the nuclear power station
incident.—Photo by Ko Sasaki on 17 March 2011 at Yamagata
City All-purpose Sports Center.

This project aims to provide an opportunity for children affected by the earthquake
and the tsunami to document their surroundings and express their thoughts andfeelings through photography. Twentyseven primary and junior high school students participated in photography workshops in November and December 2011.
Paying attention to what children see andthink helps to realize child-friendly reconstruction efforts and child-friendly societies. The exhibitions are held at various
locations in Japan and at the UNICEF
House in New York.
Note: The photography workshops and theexhibitions are supported by Sony Corporation.

Children participated in EYE SEE TOHOKU Project(at Ayukawahama, Ishinomaki, Miyagi)

The Happy Birthday 3.11

This project aims to express the value oflife and hopes for the future. Conducting
this project gives everyone in Japan anopportunity to think about what kind of
future is awaiting these children born on
March 11. JCU is supporting this projectby preparing a public service announcement and holding photo exhibitions ofthese children.

Photo: Kisei Kobayashi

Born 7:48 on March 11
Ryuto Nagao (Ishinomaki, Miyagi)
The tsunami flooded the first floor of the hospital where Noriko
Nagao birthed Ryuto. She wrapped the baby in a blanket andmonitored his temperature on the roof of the hospital.

26

Born 11:04 on March 11
Rena Matsuhashi (Sendai, Miyagi)
Sayaka Matsuhashi, the mother of Reina, received her meal fromthe hospital but other family members had to go out to searchfor something to eat.

On a visit to the temple during the Higan (nirvana) week, achild places flowers on his ancestor’s grave. He had to search
for the grave as it was washed away in the tsunami.—Photoby Kenichi Shindo on 21 March 2011 at Kannon Temple in
Yuriage, Natori City, Miyagi Prefecture)

Screenings and internal radiation exposure test of the thyroid
gland for children at the Iitate village Office. In July, more than
three months after the test, it was found that 45% of theapproximatelu 1,150 children living around the nuclear power
station suffered radiation exposure of the thyroid. —Photo by
Masaya Noda on 30 March 2011 in Iwate Village, Fukushima
Prefectire.

© UNICEF/Japan 2011/Haruki Abe

Born 15:23 on March 11
Tora Segawa (Sendai, Miyagi)
The parents were moved from the labor room to a cot behind
the reception area for the birth of their son. They werecongratulated from people in the reception area who had sought
refuge in the hospital.

© UNICEF/Japan 2011/Yuuna Sasaki© UNICEF/Japan 2011/Misuzu Kamaishi“Great smile!”
Misuzu Kamaishi, Otsuchi, Iwate© UNICEF/Japan 2011/Juri Fujiwara© UNICEF/Japan 2011/Toshinori Sano

© UNICEF/Japan 2011/Akira Sato

“These tiny plants are like one big family. Even though it’s avery cold morning, they look very lively.” Akira Sato, Soma,
Fukushima

A classroom on the second floor of Otsuchi Primary School was
burnt black after the tsunami and fires.—Photo by Kenichi
Shindo on 31 March 2011 at Otsuchi town, Iwate Prefecture.

“After practice, members of the baseball club sing the school
song.” Toshinori Sano, Otsuchi, Iwate“Flowers really make us feel happy, and her smile doubles myhappy feeling.” Juri Fujiwara, Soma, Fukushima“Rainbows are beautiful, but we seldom see them. That’s why I
was glad to see this one when I was photographing. I hopepeople who see this picture will feel happy and smile.”
Yuuna Sasaki, Ishinomaki, Miyagi“I took the photo of volunteers working hard.”
Haruki Abe, Ishinomaki, Miyagi

Born 15:26 on March 11
Shiori Hashimoto (Fukushima, Fukushima)
To escape danger, Yukie Hashimoto was evacuated to thehospital’s parking area and gave birth to Shiori in a car. Yukie’s
wish is for her daughter to lead a normal, healthy life.

Born 16:23 on March 11
Rin Izumi (Aomori, Aomori)
After her birth, Rin spent her first night in a hospital lit byflashlights due to a power outage. Her parents chose the nameRin because the character for this name means “strong-spiritedand powerful.”

27

One Year Income and Expenses Report[Income] (March 14, 2011 to January 31, 2012)
Income(Units: Yen)

*1. Donations, including those directly contributed by overseas individuals, corporations, organizations, and other bodies.
*2. UNICEF national committees exist in 36 developed countries and regions aroundthe world and serve as pipelines for private contributions to UNICEF. Since March
2011, 15 of those committees (Australia, Austria, Canada, the Czech Republic,
France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, The Republic ofKorea, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States) have sent donations to JCU.

IncomeFrom JCU’s domestic operations expenses account

100,000,000

Donations received in Japan*1

2,683,593,541

Donations received from overseas*2

1,153,015,893

Total

3,936,609,434[Expenses] (March 14, 2011 to January 31, 2012)

(Units: Yen)

Item / Details

Expenses

Confirmed
Expenses*9

Planned
Expenses*10

Planned
Expenses*10(to Dec. 2012)(to Dec. 2012)(Apr. 2013)

Total

A. Emergency Support Activity Expenses
1. Emergency Support Supplies

Supplies Procurement Support

180,300,028

0

0

0

Technical Support*3

7,009,489

000

7,009,489

Subtotal

187,309,517

0

0

0

187,309,517

2. Health and Nutrition


Restarting Health Checkups andSupplies Procurement Support

53,209,218

0

0

0

53,209,218

Activity Report P. 8

Nutrition Support Project

26,668,730

0

0

0

26,668,730



Mother and Child Health (Breast feeding and pregnancy support,
vaccinations, facility building, etc.)

178,145,515

180,000,000

110,000,000

0468,145,515

School Feeds and Supplemental Food Support

18,970,355

110,000,000

00128,970,355

Technical Support*3

90,178,135

1,300,000

0091,478,135

Subtotal

367,171,953

291,300,000

110,000,000

0768,471,953
539,376,608

Activity Report P. 8

3. Education

180,300,028

Back-to-School

435,376,608

104,000,000

00Back to Nursery School and Kindergarten

87,490,841

3,000,000

0090,490,841

Reconstruction and Repair for Nursery Schools and Kindergartens

607,709,026

1,137,000,000

001,744,709,026

Junior High and High School Interscholastic Athletic Meets

67,528,498

0

0

0

67,528,498

Technical Support*3

32,099,730

2,500,000

0034,599,730

Activity Report P. 12

Subtotal

1,230,204,703

1,246,500,000

002,476,704,703

4. Psychosocial Support

Bus Fieldtrips and Let’s Play! The
Outdoors Playtime Project

91,765,060

40,000,000

00131,765,060

Activity Report P. 20

Children’s Mini Library Project,
Tegami and UNICEF Tree of Prayer Projects

37,332,837

1,150,000

0038,482,837

Supplies Procurement

2,169,6550002,169,655

IEC Materials, etc.*4

1,447,399

0001,447,399

Technical Support*3

61,272,405

34,000,000

4,000,000

5,000,000

104,272,405

Subtotal

193,987,356

75,150,000

4,000,000

5,000,000

278,137,356

Advocacy*5

1,454,230

200,000

800,000

1,000,000

3,454,230

Activity Report P. 22

IEC materials, etc.*4

729,8023,000,000

003,729,802Technical Support*3

20,988,982

16,000,000

2,500,000

5,000,000

44,488,982

5. Child protection

6. Child-Friendly Reconstruction Plans
Activity Report P. 24


Subtotal

23,173,014

19,200,000

3,300,000

6,000,000

51,673,014

Advocacy*5

246,140000246,140

Child-friendly Reconstruction(creating play spaces and playgrounds)

19,562,708

17,000,000

5,279,359

5,000,000

46,842,067

Technical Support*3

3,532,276

1,000,000

1,000,000

1,000,000

6,532,276

Subtotal

23,341,124

18,000,000

6,279,359

6,000,000

53,620,483

Reporting and Communication*6

54,933,067

15,250,000

0070,183,067

Subtotal

54,933,067

15,250,000

0070,183,067

Total

2,080,120,734

1,665,400,000

123,579,359

17,000,000

3,886,100,093

Local Offices Rental, Communications, Transportation Expenses, etc.

23,353,595

3,500,000

01,000,000

27,853,595

Project Staff and Volunteers*8

17,155,746

5,000,0000

500,000

22,655,746

Subtotal

40,509,341

8,500,000

01,500,000

50,509,341

Total

2,120,630,075

1,673,900,000

123,579,359

18,500,000

3,936,609,434

7. Activity Reports and Publicity Programs

B. On-Site Operations of All Activities*7

expenses at the start of disaster-related activities. Based on auditor direction,transportation expenses for emergency support activities, which was includedin On-Site Operations of All Activities on the six-month report, has been transferred to Emergency Support Activity Expenses.
*8. Project Staff and Volunteers to Sites expenses include living expenses and volunteer insurance, but not salaries. Staff are considered employees of UNICEF
or JCU.
*9. C onfirmed Expenses are those amounts where the support activity has alreadyoccurred, so that only payment and other administrative procedures remain. It
also includes activities for which the details and costs have been determined,
and the activity is currently being implemented.
*10. Planned Expenses are amounts forecast as of January 31, 2012, and couldchange if there is a change in future conditions or activities in the disaster area.

*3. Technical Support includes outsourcing expenses for support activities orexperts arranged through the JCU’s partner organizations (including local publicbodies) in the implementation of its operations.
*4. IEC Materials, etc., comprises the production of information materials for disaster victims.
*5. Advocacy consists of collaborating, organizing, and information sharing with
JCU’s partner organization (including website creation, consultation, holding
information meetings)*6. Reporting and Communication covers expenses for the production of reports
and publications, photo exhibitions, English translation of websites, and videotape and film costs for videos and photographs.
*7. On-Site Operations of All Activities expenses are covered by the 100 million
yen that was allocated by JCU for this purpose from its domestic operations28

Support Activity Contributors
endeavors. Similarly, we are deeply grateful for those of you
who cooperated on a pro bono basis in publicizing our support
activities and taking part in advocacy.
Currently, we are providing support in the affected areas
through our partnership with various professional organizations. In addition to our direct ties with the Area Associationsof JCU in each of the disaster-stricken prefectures, we are
actively providing indirect support by cooperating with volunteer organizations.
Reports on our website of the progress of our support in
the disaster-affected areas are frequently updated. We hopethat you will continue to take an interest in our activities.

We could not have carried out our support activities following
the East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Disaster without thecooperation of many individuals, corporations, and organizations. We would like to thank the people from Japan and overseas who donated generously for the sake of the children
affected by this disaster. We would also like to thank those inJapan who donated picture books for the UNICEF Children’s
Mini Library Project and cooperated in so many other ways.
During a time when procuring and delivering supplies wasdifficult, we received assistance from those within our partnership circle. We are deeply grateful to the many companies
and organizations for their donations of supplies and effort toquickly procure and deliver those supplies, as well as otherWebsite: www.unicef.or.jp

Support and Cooperation Participants List (At January 31, 2012)
Cooperating Corporations and Organizations (In no particular order)
Organization, Corporations, and Other Bodies Cooperating in the Implementation and Operation of Support Activities

Japanese Board on Books for Young People (JBBY), Japan
Association for Play Therapy, Fukushima Society of Certified ClinicalPsychologists, Fukushima Transportation, Fukushima Kotsu Kanko,
Fukushima Junior Chamber, JTB Business World Tokyo, Familymart,
Iwate Kenpoku Kanko, Iwate Kenpoku Bus[Health and Nutrition]
Aomori University of Health and Welfare, Special Committee for
Supporting Mothers and Children Under the Stress of Natural
Disasters, Genero Technologies, DENTSU, The Japan Dietetic
Association, Japanese Midwives’ Association, Japan Primary
Care Association, NPO HANDS, Hakuhodo, NPO Humanitarian
Medical Assistance (HuMA), Japan Liaison Council of Breastfeeding
Organizations[Child Protection]
Japan CAP Training & Action, DENTSU, Tokyo Council of Social
Welfare, Hakuhodo, Child Caregiver Committee, J-CAPTA, Niiza
Childcare Support Network, MIYAGI Child and Family Support
Center, YAMAGATA CHILD AND FAMILY SUPPORT CIRCLELAND,
Japan National Council of Social Welfare[Education]
The Japan Overseas Cooperative Association, DENTSU,
Tokyo Council of Social Welfare, Hakuhodo Child Caregiver of theCommittee[Child-Friendly Reconstruction Plans]
Yamagata University, Takenaka Corporation, Association ofChildren’s Environment, General Research Institute of theConvention on the Rights of the Child[Psychosocial Support]
Japan National Council of Child Family Support Center, DENTSU,

Supplies Cooperation (Donations and Special Cooperation)[Diapers and Hygiene Products][Education and Psychosocial Support]

P&G

AKASHI HIFUKU KOGYO CO., LTD., American Airlines, IKEA
Japan K. K., Iwate CO-OP, KYOKUTO ASSOCIATES Co., Ltd.,SEIBAN, K. K., Sony Corporation, TOMY Company, Ltd., Japan
Handicraft Instructors’ Association, Nihon New Bag Chain, Ohkuma,
PATCHWORK TSUSHIN CO., LTD., People Tree / Fair Trade Company,
Miyagi Consumers’ CO-OP[Beverages and Health Products]
ITO EN, LTD., SIX TELEKURS JAPAN LTD., KIRIN MC DANONEWATERS Co., Ltd., DANONE WATERS OF JAPAN Co., Ltd., Saitama
CO-OP, Saraya Co., Ltd., DANONE JAPAN Co., Ltd., VanaH Co., Ltd.,MAGNET, Antimicrobial Technology Co., Ltd., JUTEC Inc., Clean
Techno, Mitani Valve Co., Ltd., HY CORPORATION, Mannatech
Japan G.K., Lion Corporation[Others]
Takeda Sangyo Corporation, AVANTEC CO., LTD., NISSAN MOTOR
CO., LTD.

[Apparel and Shoes]
ACHILLES CORPORATION, AEON, CONVERSE FOOTWEAR CO.,LTD., TORAY INTERNATIONAL, INC., Japan Platform
Gratis Cooperation with Logistics, etc.

Iwate CO-OP, Iwate School CO-OP, Iwate Prefecture Teachers Union, Iwate Prefectural University, Japan Airlines, Miyagi CO-OP, Meiji
Gakuin University

Support and Supplies for Disaster Victims and Areas at a Glance
Baby wipes, ethanol disinfectant, health and nutritional support (including nutritional supplements, food, and cod liver oil), printing machines, folding umbrellas, various toys, coloring books, coloring
pencils, folding paper, large-sized vehicles, children’s underwear, children’s socks, clothes for children, disposable diapers, oral rehydration solutions (ORS) for children, milk, antibacterial and deodorant agents, school supplies (including desks for teachers and students, chairs, wheeled tables, bookshelves, free-standing closets for storing cleaning equipment, curtain, school lunch eating utensils,
first aid kits, and movable blackboards and whiteboards), school-use stationery (including paper, magic markers, tape, file folders, school notebooks, instructional book, and drill), learning equipment(including pianicas, recorders, painting sets, Japanese calligraphy sets, sewing sets, math sets, instruments for experiments, celestial globes, gym wear, jerseys), indoor and outdoor shoes, red andwhite team hats, disaster hoods, school lunch aprons, kindergarten uniforms, school bags, carrying bags, bells to scare off bears, crayons, dryers, air cleaners, temporary toilets, changing rooms, minicars, motor scooters, helmet for children, gas stove, rotary boiler, cool box for milk, equipment for schoolchildren facilities , children’s library (constructed), sanitary napkins, health checkup sets, multifunction copier and fax machines, projector screens, speakers, fans (stand-up and wall-attached), washing machines, septic tanks, CD/radio/cassette tape players, vacuum cleaners, partitions for use
when breast feeding, automobiles, school buses, bicycles, fire extinguisher, educational items for disabled children, dental lights, hand disinfectant liquid, data communications kits, flashlights for use
when going to or returning from school in the dark, batteries, desktop lights, TVs, DVD players, electric water pots, bread for breakfast, juice, electric heater, adult’s and children’s boots, infant weightscales, height measurement for infants and children, clay, maternity jackets, printers, personal computers, projectors, Early Childhood Development Kits (heated pools, school lunch eating utensils,cooking utensils, rugs, mats, nap corner, wireless amplifier, balls, push cart, and fireproof curtain), temporary facilities (constructed) for nursery schools, personal anti-crime alarms, radiation detectors,
toothbrush (infants, children), masks, computer mouse devices, sewing machines, storage sheds, yogurt, USB flash memory sticks, UNICEF Recreation Kits, UNICEF Kindergarten Kits (School-in-a-Box
Kits), vaccination storage refrigerator, vaccines, rotary presses, raincoats, candles (for events), refrigerator

29

© UNICEF/Japan 2011/Giacomo Pirozzi© JCU/KO SASAKI

Japan Committee for UNICEF
UNICEF House
4-6-12, Takanawa, Minato-ku
Tokyo 108-8607, Japan
Tel: +81 (3) 5789-2011
Fax: +81 (3) 5789-2036
www.unicef.or.jp© UNICEF/Japan 2011/Noa Kado

© JCU/KO SASAKI