[TOKYO, JAPAN, 8 August 2011]
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On 7 August (Sunday), United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon took time during his visit to Japan to participate in an opinion exchange with high school students in Fukushima Prefecture. The event was planned in order to use the Secretary-General’s visit to Japan as an opportunity to relay the voices of children from Fukushima Prefecture, who currently face a diverse range of issues, to the rest of the world. The event got off to a pomp-filled start with a performance by the brass band of a high school from the Prefecture.
First, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon delivered a strong message of encouragement to the children of the affected area. “Congratulations on Fukushima winning the first round in the Koshien tournament, and congratulations on Nadeshiko Japan winning the World Cup! It brings me pride as a fellow Asian. The Great East Japan Earthquake was a tremendously great disaster. However, the world and the United Nations are right behind you. There is no question that Japan can overcome this struggle. Gambaro, Fukushima!”
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| Chinatsu Oku speaks to the Secretary-General on behalf of Fukushima Prefecture high school students. |
Next, on behalf of high school students in the affected areas of Fukushima Prefecture, Chinatsu Oku of Fukushima Minami High School appealed to the world for assistance, “We are now working harder than ever everyday to pull together our wisdom in search of a solution to the problems that lie before us. However, Fukushima’s problem is no longer only a problem for the people of Fukushima Prefecture. It is beyond question that our efforts to rejuvenate the prefecture will greatly impact the future of the world. I would like to thank United Nations Secretary-General for visiting us today, and express our hope for continued assistance from the United Nations in overcoming this crisis.”
Next, Minami Watanabe of Futaba High School also spoke on behalf of high school students from the prefecture about the complex emotions that everyone has gone through since the disaster.
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“The time was 2:46 p.m. on 11 March. Up until this point I was wasn’t thinking about much, just living my life as normal. It was a pleasant day with no major problems. But then the earthquake hit, then the tsunami, and then the incident with the nuclear power station. And since then I haven’t been able to go home. My house is about 10 kilometers from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. Life has been rough since that day. And since then everyday I have asked my parents, ‘When can we go home?’
“Life at the shelter went by fast, but after about a month had passed I started to get anxious. I thought that other students where able to study as usual, while I was unable to go to school, left without even the tools to study, and that I would just get left behind. I am so thankful that I have been able to continue to attend Futaba High School as a satellite student since 9 May. This has allowed me to continue on living in a manner somewhat similar to life before the earthquake. Thanks to the teachers, I am able to take the same kind of high-level classes as before.
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“We will never forget that this is all due to the cooperation and support of so many people. I never imagined that the day would come when I became a disaster victim myself. It left me unable to tell what was right and wrong.
“However, the disaster did teach me one thing. Living a normal life, going to school like a normal student and taking classes with your friends—the things that bring us the most happiness in life are the ‘normal’ things. The disaster also gave me the opportunity to think seriously about the future. It took a disaster to make be realize these things. I am happy that people around the world have provided a way for us to steer away from a hopeless future.
“I may never be able to return to the home where I lived comfortably for 17 years. I may never be able to see the friends that I said goodbye to, as I always did, on 11 March. But I am sure that wherever I go my friends at Futaba High School will always be there for me. I’m still not able to be positive all of the time, but I want to take these hardships, these days that I’ve spent in tears, and use them as lessons to help me become a strong person that can overcome any adversity.”
After the two students spoke, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon responded by saying, “Your words have moved me tremendously.” The 100 some high school students in attendance also appeared to be moved as they listened to the speeches.
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Later, during a question and answer session, a student from Fukushima Minami High School asked the Secretary-General, “As the Secretary-General, what do you demand of high school students like us that are to be future leaders?” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon delivered a powerful message in response, commenting, “It is the duty of the United Nations to exert every effort for people in the most unfortunate circumstances in the world. Japan is currently facing a trial of tremendous scale, but Japan is still one of the most advantaged countries in the world. A truly large number of people in the world suffer from situations where their most basic human rights are not protected. A large number of agencies, including UNICEF, who is in attendance today, are working to provide assistance to people suffering from various disasters. In the past two months alone, 30,000 children in the Horn of Africa have lost their lives. I hope that you all will broaden your horizons and think about what you can do together with the United Nations as future leaders.”
After the event was over, Chinatsu and Minami sounded reenergized as they told us how they felt after their speeches. “I feel uplifted. There are many people less fortunate than us in the world, so I want to study more and investigate ways that I can do something for the rest of the world.”
The Japan Committee for UNICEF is carrying out assistance for the children of Fukushima Prefecture that continue to face trying circumstance as a result of the disaster, such as through the “Let’s Play! The Outdoors Playtime Project” which provides children the opportunity to play and freely outdoors.
All photo credits: © Japan Committee for UNICEF
| Receiving Prefecture |
Type of Emergency Supplies |
Arrival Date |
Quantity | Donating Company |
Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miyagi | Water | 19 Mar. | 12,288 bottles |
VanaH Co., Ltd. | Two-liter plastic bottles |
| Fukushima | Water | 22 Mar. | 12,672 bottles |
VanaH Co., Ltd. | Two-liter plastic bottles |
| Miyagi | Underwear for boys and girls | 22 Mar. | 200,000 | ||
| Iwate | Underwear for boys and girls | 23 Mar. | 30,000 | ||
| Fukushima | Water | 23 Mar. | 4,680 bottles |
KIRIN MC DANONE WATERS Co., Ltd. | Two-liter plastic bottles |
| Miyagi | Children’s shoes | 23 Mar. | 10,000 pairs |
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| Miyagi | Children’s diapers | 24 Mar. | 80 packs | P&G Japan | |
| Iwate | Children’s underwear | 24 Mar. | 9,700 | ||
| Fukushima | Water | 24 Mar. | 12,288 bottles |
VanaH Co., Ltd. | Two-liter plastic bottles |
| Iwate | Shoes | 26 Mar. | 1,404 pairs | Achilles Corporation | |
| Iwate | Underwear for boys and girls | 27 Mar. | 28,266 | ||
| Iwate | Boots | 27 Mar. | 7,462 pairs | ||
| Iwate | Wipes | 28 Mar. | 1,200 | P&G Japan | For babies |
| Miyagi | Recreation kits Early Childhood Development kits |
2 Apr. | 50 of each | Procured from the UNICEF Supply Division | |
| Iwate | Recreation kits Early Childhood Development kits |
2 Apr. | 50 of each | Procured from the UNICEF Supply Division | |
| Miyagi | Book bags | 6 Apr. | 70 | Nihon New Bag Chain | |
| Iwate | Book bags | 6-7 Apr. | 340 | Seiban | |
| Miyagi | Schoolbags | 8 Apr. | 18,000 | Procured from the UNICEF Supply Division | |
| Iwate | Schoolbags | 8 Apr. | 18,000 | Procured from the UNICEF Supply Division | |
| Miyagi | Personal security buzzers (for crime prevention purposes) | 8 Apr. | 5,000 | ||
| Iwate | Personal security buzzers (for crime prevention purposes) | 8 Apr. | 5,000 | ||
| Miyagi | Minicar | 8 Apr. | 3 cars | ||
| Miyagi | Nutritional supplements | From early April | 4,000 bottles | ||
| Fukushima | Water | 11 Apr. | 1,536 bottles | VanaH Co., Ltd. | Two-liter plastic bottles |
| Miyagi | Replenishments for recreation kits | 12 Apr. | 60 sets | ||
| Miyagi | Miniature toy cars | 12 Apr. | Approx. 1,200 | TAKARA TOMY | |
| Sagamihara* | Water | 12 Apr. | 12,288 bottles | VanaH Co., Ltd. | Two-liter plastic bottles |
| Miyagi | Play mats | 13 Apr. | Two types; 80 of each type | IKEA | |
| Miyagi | Drawing sets | 13 Apr. | 60 sets | IKEA | |
| Iwate | Preschool-size chairs, tables and low tables | 14 Apr. | 75 chairs; 11 tables; 9 low tables | Donated to preschools, primary schools, junior high schools and high schools in the disaster area as well as their new locations | |
| Miyagi | Mopeds | 15 Apr. | 5 | ||
| Iwate | Notebooks and stationery sets for primary and junior high school students | 15. Apr. | 16,700 sets | ||
| Miyagi | 183 computers; 57 copiers and fax machines; 61 printers | 18-21 Apr. | Distributed to preschools, primary schools, junior high schools and high schools in the disaster area as well as their new locations | ||
| Fukushima | Movable blackboards | 21 Apr. | 10 | ||
| Fukushima | Temporary toilets | 22 Apr. | 20 | ||
| Iwate | Geiger counters | 28 Apr. | 14 | For schools in Soma City | |
| Iwate | Dressing room/ breastfeeding partition system | 28 Apr. | 21 sets | ||
| Saitama* | Milk | From late April | Shelter in Futabamachi, Kazo City | ||
| Saitama* | Yogurt | From early May | Danone Japan | Shelter in Futabamachi, Kazo City | |
| Iwate | Color pencils (120 sets) and paint (240 sets) | 13 May | |||
| Iwate | Student lamps | 14 May | 15 | ||
| Iwate | Stationery sets | 16 May | 840 sets | ||
| Fukushima | Lockers | 16 May | 22 sets | For the Board of Education of Minamisoma City | |
| Fukushima | Computers | 16 May | 1 | Ishikawa Town Board of Education | |
| Miyagi | 2 copiers; 2 computers; 2 printers | May | For Higashi-Matsushima Day-Care Center and Watari Day-Care Center | ||
| Iwate | Water receiving tank, water purifier tank, water supply tank | May construction | May construction | ||
| Miyagi | Solar-powered vaccine refrigerator | 18 May | |||
| Fukushima | Fans | 30 May | 112 | Minamisoma City Board of Education | |
| Fukushima | Masks | 30 May | 100,000 | Minamisoma City Board of Education | |
| Iwate | 1 copy machine | 2 June | |||
| Saitama* | Shoes | 15 June | 460 pairs | Converse Footwear Co., Ltd. |
-Number of UNICEF Children’s Mini Libraries distributed: Approximately 150,000 books to over 900 locations (as of 20 June 2011).
-Number of children that have participated in the UNICEF “Let’s Play! The Outdoors Playtime Project” in Fukushima Prefecture: Approximately 5,600 (as of 26 May)
*Areas receiving disaster victims.
*In certain cases some supplies may be taken from prefectural supply storage warehouses and distributed to shelters and disaster sites in other prefectures.
As of 9:00 a.m. on 17 June 2011 (compiled by the Information and Public Affairs Division).