CHARITIES
While Japan has shown incredible resilience after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami disasters, people still need help. Each of the below organizations accepts online donations and will directly impact the relief efforts in Japan.
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AmeriCares is a global health non-profit dedicated to delivering medical and humanitarian aid in need worldwide. Their efforts in Japan have been substantial and have focused on providing relief supplies, counseling support, and rebuilding medical facilities.
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Peace Winds Japan is one of the largest Japanese humanitarian aid organizations. In support of the relief efforts, they offer assistance for local industries, social welfare services to children, and disaster preparedness workshops for local municipalities in the Tohoku region.
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This memorial fund was established in honor of Taylor Anderson, one of the two JETs casualties of the disasters; the other was Monty Dickson. Donations to this fund go to support College scholarships, high school English reading corners, and JET micro-grants for English language and culture education programs.
In addition to the above, since the disasters, many current and former JETs have started Japanese non-profits to aid in the rebuilding of Japan. Below are a few examples of some incredible work being done by the JET community. For more information about these and other JET-run non-profits, please visit the JETAA USA website.
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Smile Kids Japan and Living Dreams have joined together to create The Tohoku Kids Project dedicated to helping children orphaned by the disasters.
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VolunteerAkita leads service projects to improve the quality of life for those still struggling since the disasters.
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Eyes 4 Fukushima aids the people affected by the disasters at the grassroots level through events, fundraising, and micro-grants.