Second level training course for home care nurses

 

Students attending the lecture

 

 

The glass doors in the porch give this temporary housing unit a nice feel

 

 

The shrubs have put forth buds

 

 

A sign announcing more reconstruction work

 

 

I discovered these vending machines selling juices designed

and named after cartoon characters 

 

A huge temporary housing unit

 

 

Overlooking Minamisanriku town 

 

Women play very important roles in the rebuilding of their towns.

When the number of women spurring everybody on increases, surely this will breathe new life into the towns' redevelopment.

We decided to hold a second level training course for home care nurses, so as to offer the participants the opportunity to acquire a qualification, but moreover, to provide them with the time and space to consider with their like-minded fellow students issues relating to their hometowns, living circumstances, families, and themselves. 

Applications for the course far exceeded the maximum number of participants. 

 

Encouragement from Serbia

 

Messages of encouragement received from foreign countries

are displayed in the Research Centre of JICA 

(Japan International Cooperation Agency) 

 

The messages from Serbia

Did you know that there are many women in Serbia, who write Haiku (short poems) and value the poet Basho's Haiku collections?

The power of handicrafts

 

A pouch almost entirely hand-sewn

 

Teaching and encouraging each other, they create their individual pieces.

 

 

This helps everybody - a needle threader!

Let's enjoy life in the temporary housing units!

The handicrafts sessions that started by chance, have come to positively change the female residents.

Although materials sometimes lack in quantity and quality, the craftworks show a tremendous affection. And the ingenuity in overcoming obstacles provides every single crafted item with a special value.

Meeting of the Women's Support Network

The Women's Support Network for the Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami Disaster recovery held a meeting to present its interim reports.

Over 100 people participated and listened to the comprehensive reports.
Details of the meeting as well as the reports can be accessed here:
http://risetogetherjp.org/?p=492 

Jonet could unfortunately not participate, as the meeting coincided with a salon and the first day of a lecture course we had organised.

Frozen water pipes

A 'home-evacuated' person kindly lend us a room, in which we could hold our 'make your own tote bag' salon. Unfortunately, we do not have any photos of the salon.

To call this 'home evacuation' is rather strange, for this person lost her house to the tsunami, but made up the cow barn where she now lives.

During this year's winter, a heat line had been wrapped around the water pipes to prevent freezing, but the pipes still froze. Because recovery works in this district are running late and (tab) water cannot be used, Jonet sent several times a 10t truck with pet bottled water. Now that also the water pipes are frozen, this pet bottled water helps a great number of people.

We received a message from the person who offered us to use her premises for the salon:
"... Thanks to the support of the members of Jonet, I feel that harmony has returned to this community. I am so happy about this development. Thank you very much!" 

Repair of the portable shrine

 

As the portable shrine will be repaired by a professional shop in Yamagata, 

it was ceremonially taken out from its storage space for delivery.

 

Eyes were turning to the make-up artist mixing foundation.

 

As the girl's hair is styled, 

the boy borrowed the camera to take a photograph. 

 

 

The Arahama area today (in the Wakabayashi District of Sendai)

 

This new house was under construction, 

when it was destroyed by the tsunami.

 

A severed road

Here, nothing has changed since the disaster.

 

A glamorous spring visit

 

 

Serious business!

Today's nail artists are junior high school students.

 

Professionals did the hairdressing and make up for all participants.

 

The stylist does a final check before the photo shoot.

 

Scarves to drape around neck and shoulders

When women get together, the men are quick to follow -

and before one knows, he receives a hand massage.

 

It is really cold this year.

The snow that fell last night threatened to delay

our salon event.

 

The usually dreary walls of the temporary houses have here

been brightened with a charming drawing.

At this salon, professional hairdresser, make-up and nail artists groomed our participants, and a professional photographer then took of each participant a spring photograph. We are waiting for the photos to be developed.