World Vision Child-Friendly Space opens in Japan
By Nanako Otsuki, World Vision Japan. Edited by Peter Warski, World Vision U.S.
Children attending World Vision's first Child-Friendly Space in the aftermath of Japan's deadly earthquake and tsunami have decided to call it by a different name -- Zenin syugo, or "everyone gathering together." But its purpose is the same.
In the wake of large-scale disasters like the tragedy in Japan on March 11, World Vision establishes these places as a safe, supervised, welcoming venue where vulnerable children can play and interact with others their own age, talk about their experiences, and begin to recover from the trauma they've faced.
Emotional trauma
The ages of these children at our Child-Friendly Space in Tome, Japan, range from elementary school through junior high. They all come from Minami Sanriku, a town in Miyagi prefecture that was almost completely destroyed by the tsunami.
The emotional toll that the disaster has taken on the children is obvious. "I am worried about my aunt, who is missing," says 9-year-old Syo, who is in third-grade.
"I wonder how I can live and rebuild my family's house," says Hikaru, also 9. "I am worried that a tsunami like this one might come again."
"I wonder if I can go to the same junior high school with my old friends," adds sixth-grader Shiori, 12.
Finding stability amidst devastation
Yoko Yakuwa, staff member with World Vision in Japan, explained about World Vision's work by telling a story with picture cards. After that, the children wrote down activities they wanted to do and shared their ideas with each other. The ideas were simple -- play the piano, play soccer, play cards, play baseball.
For children like these, who have just faced such extreme trauma, perhaps one of the best remedies is to simply recover a sense of normalcy.
Right now, they're living in an evacuation center. They don't know when classes will start again; most of their schools were destroyed. Most of them have lost their homes, and many have loved ones who have been confirmed dead.
The road to recovery
That's why World Vision considers emotional support to be just as critical as physical assistance for vulnerable children who have experienced disasters. Even simple activities that involve interacting with other children, processing their feelings, and experiencing structure can be an effective path to healing.
"I usually play with two or three of my friends who are in the same room at the evacuation center," says Narumi, 11. "So it was fun to discuss with everyone and play with everyone."
Added 11-year-old Misato: "I felt relieved when I wrote down my concern," she says. "It was good because I didn't have a chance to write down my concerns like today."
Financial accountability for U.S. donations
World Vision U.S. is humbled by the overwhelming outpouring of support from our donors for the people of Japan. Our response to the quake and tsunami will continue through a planned 90-day emergency response phase and 24-month recovery and rehabilitation phase.
We now expect to have received enough donations to fully fund this intended 24-month response. We are encouraging those who wish to continue to help to donate to World Vision's general Disaster Response Fund. Given that World Vision responds to some 75 disasters annually, this fund provides resources for us to continue working in other critical emergencies around the world, as well as prepare for the next rapid disaster response.
Similarly, in the event that we are no longer able to continue our response in Japan, we will redirect any remaining donations to other emergency relief projects.
Read more about World Vision's stewardship of donations made for Japan quake relief and other humanitarian aid and development projects around the world.
Learn more
Visit the World Vision Blog to get the latest stories, news, and information about the situation in Japan.
Please pray
Please keep in prayer the children, families, and communities left devastated by this earthquake and tsunami.