[26 April 2011]
Implementing Agency: The Japan Committee for UNICEF
Major Cooperation Agencies and Organizations:
UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund); prefectural committees for UNICEF; local governments of disaster hit areas (Disaster Management Offices, Boards of Education, etc.); consumer cooperatives in disaster hit prefectures; joint associations and other UNICEF partners; corporations; expert groups in Japan; communities in disaster hit areas; citizens’ groups; and volunteers.
Interim budget as of 25 April (donations):
2 billion yen (Total funds raised from within Japan and overseas amount to 1,595,216,618 yen)
*This interim budget covers near-term expenses from 14 March 2011 until 30 September 2011.
On 14 March 2011, the Japan Committee for UNICEF (JCU) launched the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Emergency Relief campaign. At the same time, utilizing 100 million yen taken from domestic business funds to fund initial activities, JCU gained the cooperation of municipal governments in the disaster area, co-ops, partner organizations and others to provide contributions made by partner corporations as well as drinking water, children’s underwear and other emergency relief supplies made available by partners to disaster victims Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima Prefectures, as well as other areas. Moreover, in parallel with these activities, JCU worked together with domestic expert groups in: 1) implementing medical and nutritional assistance for pregnant and breastfeeding women and infants; 2) enriching psychological care for children victim to the disaster; and 3) providing educational assistance (the “Back to School” campaign) that included supplying school goods to primary and junior high school students beginning their new school years.
Basic assistance policy, current situation and budget allocation plan*
(*This plan may change due to local government needs in the disaster area.)
Reconstruction activities have gradually started in the disaster area; however, local governments, which have also suffered from the disaster, have yet to restore their normal functions.
In light of the situation, JCU will continue to provide assistance for restoring government service functions in the disaster area in the three areas of: 1) educational assistance to children; 2) health and nutritional assistance for mothers and infants; and 3) child protection. At the same time, JCU will implement direct assistance activities, striving to ensure that the situation of children in the disaster area improves to a point that is better than before the disaster.
1) Provision of emergency relief supplies (gradually downsizing)
In cooperation and collaboration with Disaster Management Offices in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima Prefectures and other partner organizations, since launching emergency relief activities on 14 March JCU has provided relief supplies, such as mineral water, children’s underwear, clothing and shoes, greatly needed by disaster victims (including victims evacuated to outside of these prefectures). Many of these relief supplies were donated by partner corporations. Furthermore, numerous corporations cooperated in promptly securing and procuring these supplies for low prices and ensuring means of transport amidst the confusion following the earthquake, while on-site assistance also allowed for ensuring the swift transport of supplies to shelters. JCU would like to again extend its heartfelt gratitude to all parties involved in this process.
Budget: 150,000,000 yen
(Amount implemented as of 20 April: 72,412,273 yen)
2)Educational support: Back to School campaign
To ensure that children in Miyagi and Iwate Prefectures can return to schools, which are starting their new school years, JCU has provided school supplies, including the initial necessary stationery for over 200,000 children (2,000 yen/set), equipment needed by teachers including computers and printers, and other furnishings needed to restart school activities such as desks and chairs. These supplies have been provided to over 100 primary and junior high schools in Miyagi and Iwate Prefectures. Moreover, as a second part of the campaign, JCU is making preparations to be able to provide approximately 10,000 primary school students with special coupons that they can use to purchase gym cloths, clay, calligraphy sets and other school supplies in accordance with their individual school needs (approximately 20,000 yen per set).
We are also implementing the Back to Kindergarten campaign in order to support the restart of activities at kindergartens, preschools, daycare centers, afterschool programs and other places where assistance has been more limited compared to primary, junior high and high schools. Moreover, in addition to responding to individual needs by supplying dishware, furniture and educational toys, JCU is also making preparations to construct Child Friendly Kindergartens and Child Friendly Preschools that offer an environment and facilities where children can live in comfort. These facilities are to be a model for the community.
Budget: 800,000,000 yen
(Amount implemented as of 20 April: 82,610,427 yen)
3) Assistance to improve child nutrition
In order to ameliorate the nutritional problems faced by children in the disaster area, JCU as made use of donated products from corporations to implement emergency measures, such as by supplying food supplements in Miyagi Prefecture. JCU will continue to implement assistance focused on prevention, through such measures as supporting nutritional surveys and ensuring that school lunches are restored in their entirety, so that no problems arise as a result of nutritional inequity among children or another related cause.
Budget: 625,000,000 yen
4) Health and nutrition assistance for mothers and infantst
JCU provided technical assistance to the Disaster Relief Headquarters of Miyagi and Iwate Prefectures as well as 35 vehicles to implement mobile medical assistance to hospitals, clinics and healthcare centers in the area. In regions where medical facilities and systems received especially devastating damage, JCU is working together with Japanese expert groups to ensure that maternity medical checkups, including the promotion of breastfeeding, and vaccinations for children are implemented as regularly as possible. JCU has also established a referral system for mothers and infants that require advanced medical assistance. Under this system more than 20 doctors, nurses and other medical staff conduct activities in Miyagi, Iwate and Fukushima Prefectures during normal times.
Budget: 230,000,000
(Amount implemented as of 20 April: 125,923,220 yen)
5) Psychological care and protection for children
UNICEF Children’s Mini Libraries constructed using picture books, children’s books and kami shibai (Japanese picture card stories) donated from people all over Japan are being provided to facilities where psychological care is being extended to children. The books were separated and packaged by volunteers from Tokyo and Kanagawa, and until date approximately 100,000 books have been sent to about 200 shelters, kindergartens, preschools and other locations. In Kesennuma City, Miyagi Prefecture, these libraries were delivered to all public primary schools and kindergartens. In Onagawa Town, also in Miyagi Prefecture, there are plans to send approximately 8,000 picture books from the UNCIEF Children’s Mini Library project to create a Picture Book Town Library (tentative title), which pulls together only picture books to create a library. Preparations to construct this library were previously underway but were stopped due to the earthquake. We have also received many requests from facilities in Fukushima Prefecture, where restrictions have been placed on what children can do outside. Moreover, in addition to areas that have been directly damaged, such as Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima Prefectures, JCU has also received requests from facilities in prefectures and regions that are accepting evacuees from disaster areas, and is working to deliver books to those facilities.
In order to promote psychological assistance for children, JCU has distributed Early Childhood Development Kits and recreation kits and established Child Friendly Spaces in the disaster area with the cooperation of education and welfare officials, citizens’ groups and local volunteers from various regions. We have created opportunities for children to play and engage in sports—which can be considered the “job” of children—while also providing training related to the use of playing to implement psychological care to volunteers, mothers and fathers. Thus far JCU has held training for over 100 people. We are currently carrying out trainer coaching so as to increase the opportunities for training and are creating and distributing flyers that pull together the key points of psychological care.
JCU implements activities in view of long-term assistance, such as expanding on comprehensive forms of social protection for children that have lost their parents as a result of the disaster, children that had faced financial difficulties from before the disaster, and children with disabilities (e.g., strengthening foster care structures, etc.) as well as preventing child abuse.
Budget: 195,000,000 yen
(Amount implemented as of 20 April: 23,686,508 yen)
A financial report for the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Emergency Relief campaign separate from regular UNICEF fundraising will be provided on this website. JCU plans to boost the transparency of this report with the cooperation of the Japan Institute of Certified Public Accountants.