The members are almost exclusively Japanese (there was a French freelance journalist here the first couple of days I was here); at the present I'm the only foreigner in the group which right now in the summer holiday counts close to 50 members. Still, if you have a certain level of Japanese knowledge you'll meet a lot of friendly and nice people coming from all over the country.
The volunteer group United Earth has been helping out in the area since the disaster stroke last year, and they are helping out the community through various projects. These projects covers a wide range of sectors including fishery, forestry, removal of weeds, farming, senior citizen's home, a seaweed factory, and their activities varies according to the demand from the community. The recovery of the community takes time, and there is a lack of manpower in the area even with a lot of available jobs.
In order to get to Minami Sanriku there is a bus running three times a day from Sendai at 8:00, 14:10 and 16:20, and registered volunteers has the opportunity to get picked up at Hotel Kanyō (観洋). Staying as a volunteer costs around 3000 yen pr. night depending on the duration of the stay (repeaters pay less than the regular price). This covers most daily life expenses, so you don't have to worry about special equipment or food during your stay.
Working at a factory cutting seaweed |
Cleaning an area for trunks |
Holding an event at a senior citizen's home |
-Forestry
-Kessennuma's Sea Weed Factory
-United Earth's members are almost exclusively Japanese. If you prefer a more mixed volunteer group, check out for instance It's Not Just Mudd.
Related blogposts
- All blogposts about volunteering
- All blogposts from Minami-Sanriku
- Ready for Volunteer Work in Minami-Sanriku (南三陸)!
- Volunteering in Minami Sanriku: United Earth
- Volunteer Report from Minami-Sanriku: Day 1
- Volunteering in Minami Sanriku and Kesenuma: An Introduction
- Volunteering in Minami Sanriku: The Seaweed Factory
- Volunteering in Minami Sanriku: Forestry
- Minami-Sanriku: The Story of a Hero
- Youtube: Minami-Sanriku's United Earth
- Blog Post for UE: 譬え、小さなアリでも成し遂げられること
- 8 Months After the Tohoku Earthquake: Trip to Ishinomaki
- Last update from Minami Sanriku: The Voice of a Survivor
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