REPORT ON OUR VOLUNTEER HUMANITARIAN MISSION AFTER THE TRIPLE DISASTER OF 3.11.11
OUR MESSAGE: "TOHOKU: WASURENAI"
People of N.E. Japan: You Are Not Forgotten
OUR MISSION: HEALING HEARTS, MINDS, AND BODIES
of those displaced by earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster
In 2012, the mission was carried out by myself and two partners, Kuniyoshi Yoshida and Hiroko Fujita who arranged venues and acted as hosts and translators to enable me to provide sessions of gentle movement meditation ("chee-gong") and one-on-one energy healing therapy (hands-on and counseling). The intention was to relax and relieve the emotional burden of survivors of the worst disaster Japan has ever experienced.
Our 1st mission was a great success and we returned again in 2013.. All services were provided free of cost to the evacuees. Numerous people participated, and reported feeling much better. Most of those who came to our sessions are currently living in a "temporary" housing facility in Aizu Wakamatsu, Fukushima Prefecture. They had lost everything: loved ones, their homes, farms, means of earning a living, and their savings of their lifetime. Most were well into their senior years. Anxious, they reported sleeping poorly, worrying about family members who were slipping into deep depression, their recent aches and pains.
People of N.E. Japan: You Are Not Forgotten
OUR MISSION: HEALING HEARTS, MINDS, AND BODIES
of those displaced by earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster
In 2012, the mission was carried out by myself and two partners, Kuniyoshi Yoshida and Hiroko Fujita who arranged venues and acted as hosts and translators to enable me to provide sessions of gentle movement meditation ("chee-gong") and one-on-one energy healing therapy (hands-on and counseling). The intention was to relax and relieve the emotional burden of survivors of the worst disaster Japan has ever experienced.
Our 1st mission was a great success and we returned again in 2013.. All services were provided free of cost to the evacuees. Numerous people participated, and reported feeling much better. Most of those who came to our sessions are currently living in a "temporary" housing facility in Aizu Wakamatsu, Fukushima Prefecture. They had lost everything: loved ones, their homes, farms, means of earning a living, and their savings of their lifetime. Most were well into their senior years. Anxious, they reported sleeping poorly, worrying about family members who were slipping into deep depression, their recent aches and pains.
In a relaxed and enjoyable manner, we introduced the presence of the Life Force Energy: KI (in Japanese) and its consistant availability for self-healing. People had a direct experience of KI, feeling it in their hands. They were then light-heartedly taught a slow, gentle movement meditation of kikou (Japanese word for QiGong) to increase stamina and resilience. In the afternoons we offered one-on-one energy therapy sessions to relieve physical and emotional suffering. While translating, Kuniyoshi's compassion shone in every exchange.
In the meeting room of the "temporary" housing in Aizu Wakamatsu, team member, Kuniyoshi Yoshida acted as translator. We introduced the presence of KI (CHI, the Life Force Energy) then guided a slow, gentle movement meditation to increase stamina and resilience. One on one energy therapy sessions took place each afternoon.
HEALING WITH CHI - MY WONDERFUL TEAM MATES
KUNIYOSHI WROTE A SUMMARY OF WHAT WAS ACCOMPLISHED.
OUR PROJECT NEVER COULD HAVE HAPPENED WITHOUT KUNI AND HIROKO'S INVALUABLE PARTNERSHIP AND THE GENEROUS GIFT OF THEIR TIME AND EFFORT.
Thank you for your kind words, Kuni, and thank you both for your wonderful participation. I look forward to doing this again with you in the Spring of 2013 !
Kuniyoshi's Report VOLUNTEER RECORD FROM AIZU WAKAMATSU, OCTOBER 17- OCTOBER 19, 2012
2012年10月17~19日
シェリーのボランティア活動記録 (Sherry' volunteering activities' record at from 17th to 19 th on Oct in 2012 )
<自己紹介>
シェリーと私、吉田邦吉はマウイ島で知り合いました。福島県100人をマウイ島へ受け入れるプロジェクト「アロハイニシアチブ」というボランティア活動の最中でした。私は福島県双葉郡大熊町に生まれてから30年ずっと住んでいましたので2011年3月11日に避難者となっていましたのです。シェリーは雑誌アイアイの記者活動や気功ヒーリングクラスなど細部にわたってボランティア活動をしてくださいました。私含め避難者を海へ連れて行ってくれたこともあります。私自身は実家で梨の果樹園と稲作農業のかたわら、学習塾を10年間経営して代表講師をやっていました、今は32歳で、避難場所にて再開するため向けて、私の婚約者のヨガ講師「ひろこ」とともに準備中です。
<Self-Introduction> Sherry and I met in Maui during volunteering project which is called, "ALOHA INITIATIVE." I was brought up in Okuma town in Fukushima in Japan, I myself have been one of evacuees of Fukushima. Sherry really has been volunteering there for us, reporting in Eye-Ai Magazine, leading healing classes of qigong and other aspects of the project. I had worked at my home's fruit orchard of Japanese pear and rice fields. I held a private school in my house for 10 years. I'm 32 years old. I'm now preparing to re-start my private school with my fiancee, "Hiroko."
<ボランティア活動内容>
私は2012年1月からゴミ拾いのボランティア活動と、ボランティア団体を福島に呼んで避難者と合わせそのボランティア活動そのものにも協力するボランティア・コーディネイトを行ってきました。でも原発は不安定でありますし、まだまだ避難者の心の辛さは深いもので簡単ではない状況でした。仮設住宅は狭くて運動がしづらく、知らない場所へ来て、現在と将来への孤独と不安そして鬱、不眠症など、原発事故から1年半過ぎた今も、とても大きいのがあります。たとえば、不眠症がひどく、目の下が真っ赤の方も居ます。たとえば、臓器を3分の1取っているのでいろいろな面で不安な暮らしを送っている方も居ます。そんな折、シェリーが福島県のことをとても心配してくれていました。それで、シェリーと私(と私の婚約者)は福島県の方々のために何かできないかということで半年ほど計画を練って実行しました。
<Contents of our volunteering activity>
I have been cleaning littered garbage on streets in Fukushima and volunteering as a coordinator to work on our activities with other volunteer groups from other prefectures. However, there has been unstable condition of Fukushima Nuclear Power Plants and evacuees' mental conditions are not so stable, too due to their future and their lonely, distress, and set houses which are certainly temporal dwellings. In them, they are not active, not energetic. For instance, there is a woman who has red-eyes because she doesn't sleep at all. There is a man who has one third of his stomach removed because of his cancer and that's why he is worrying about future or his family and so on. Meantime, Sherry had been worrying about us very much, so Sherry planned to volunteer for evacuees in Fukushima withme (and Hiroko).
1, We delivered advertisements at each of the temporary dwellings.
2, Directly talked and explained our intention to the the head of self-association and to several evacuees.
3, Held our HEALING WITH CHI (KIKOU HEALING) at their meeting place.
1、仮設住宅の一件一件へ、ビラを作って、投函し、告知します。
2、仮設住宅の自治会長や数人の方々へ、直接お話しして告知します。
3、シェリーのイベントを仮設住宅の集会所にて開催します。
<成果>
3日間合わせて20数名以上がご参加してくださいまして、仮設住宅の集会所は満席になりました。避難者の皆様の笑顔を沢山見ることが出来ました。彼らの症状や苦労、心労など、様々な物事に傾聴したり、午後からはシェリーの個人ヒーリングもしまして、より詳細に手当て傾聴や気功レッスンを行うことができたと確信しております。2日目の時にリピーターの方々がいらっしゃって彼らの容態の変化「昨日は本当によく眠れました、いつもは眠れないんですけど、有難う御座います」という言葉などが次々と話された時、何よりうれしかったです。シェリーは丁寧に、やさしく、ゆっくりを心がけ、避難者の方々にわかりやすく、笑顔で、ずっとボランティアをし続けてくださいました。私は震災後のボランティアコーディネイトなどの経験から、シェリーがどれほどにがんばってくれたかがわかります。1日で避難者の皆様の心をつかむことは本当に素晴らしい才能だと思います。
<Great Success>
Ours was a very great success. This is because, more than 20 evacuees joined in our healing of chi class in the morning and private healings in the afternoon and shared themselves many times during this period. Their distress, their sadness have been changing to smiles with Sherry' great volunteering activities with smile, easily to understand, slowly, and the best of Sherry is, I think, Sherry is talented with catching their hearts by heart-warming spirit. Because I have been volunteering as a coordinator in Fukushima for 1 and half years so I know how she is great,amazing, wonderful.
OUR PROJECT NEVER COULD HAVE HAPPENED WITHOUT KUNI AND HIROKO'S INVALUABLE PARTNERSHIP AND THE GENEROUS GIFT OF THEIR TIME AND EFFORT.
Thank you for your kind words, Kuni, and thank you both for your wonderful participation. I look forward to doing this again with you in the Spring of 2013 !
Kuniyoshi's Report VOLUNTEER RECORD FROM AIZU WAKAMATSU, OCTOBER 17- OCTOBER 19, 2012
2012年10月17~19日
シェリーのボランティア活動記録 (Sherry' volunteering activities' record at from 17th to 19 th on Oct in 2012 )
<自己紹介>
シェリーと私、吉田邦吉はマウイ島で知り合いました。福島県100人をマウイ島へ受け入れるプロジェクト「アロハイニシアチブ」というボランティア活動の最中でした。私は福島県双葉郡大熊町に生まれてから30年ずっと住んでいましたので2011年3月11日に避難者となっていましたのです。シェリーは雑誌アイアイの記者活動や気功ヒーリングクラスなど細部にわたってボランティア活動をしてくださいました。私含め避難者を海へ連れて行ってくれたこともあります。私自身は実家で梨の果樹園と稲作農業のかたわら、学習塾を10年間経営して代表講師をやっていました、今は32歳で、避難場所にて再開するため向けて、私の婚約者のヨガ講師「ひろこ」とともに準備中です。
<Self-Introduction> Sherry and I met in Maui during volunteering project which is called, "ALOHA INITIATIVE." I was brought up in Okuma town in Fukushima in Japan, I myself have been one of evacuees of Fukushima. Sherry really has been volunteering there for us, reporting in Eye-Ai Magazine, leading healing classes of qigong and other aspects of the project. I had worked at my home's fruit orchard of Japanese pear and rice fields. I held a private school in my house for 10 years. I'm 32 years old. I'm now preparing to re-start my private school with my fiancee, "Hiroko."
<ボランティア活動内容>
私は2012年1月からゴミ拾いのボランティア活動と、ボランティア団体を福島に呼んで避難者と合わせそのボランティア活動そのものにも協力するボランティア・コーディネイトを行ってきました。でも原発は不安定でありますし、まだまだ避難者の心の辛さは深いもので簡単ではない状況でした。仮設住宅は狭くて運動がしづらく、知らない場所へ来て、現在と将来への孤独と不安そして鬱、不眠症など、原発事故から1年半過ぎた今も、とても大きいのがあります。たとえば、不眠症がひどく、目の下が真っ赤の方も居ます。たとえば、臓器を3分の1取っているのでいろいろな面で不安な暮らしを送っている方も居ます。そんな折、シェリーが福島県のことをとても心配してくれていました。それで、シェリーと私(と私の婚約者)は福島県の方々のために何かできないかということで半年ほど計画を練って実行しました。
<Contents of our volunteering activity>
I have been cleaning littered garbage on streets in Fukushima and volunteering as a coordinator to work on our activities with other volunteer groups from other prefectures. However, there has been unstable condition of Fukushima Nuclear Power Plants and evacuees' mental conditions are not so stable, too due to their future and their lonely, distress, and set houses which are certainly temporal dwellings. In them, they are not active, not energetic. For instance, there is a woman who has red-eyes because she doesn't sleep at all. There is a man who has one third of his stomach removed because of his cancer and that's why he is worrying about future or his family and so on. Meantime, Sherry had been worrying about us very much, so Sherry planned to volunteer for evacuees in Fukushima withme (and Hiroko).
1, We delivered advertisements at each of the temporary dwellings.
2, Directly talked and explained our intention to the the head of self-association and to several evacuees.
3, Held our HEALING WITH CHI (KIKOU HEALING) at their meeting place.
1、仮設住宅の一件一件へ、ビラを作って、投函し、告知します。
2、仮設住宅の自治会長や数人の方々へ、直接お話しして告知します。
3、シェリーのイベントを仮設住宅の集会所にて開催します。
<成果>
3日間合わせて20数名以上がご参加してくださいまして、仮設住宅の集会所は満席になりました。避難者の皆様の笑顔を沢山見ることが出来ました。彼らの症状や苦労、心労など、様々な物事に傾聴したり、午後からはシェリーの個人ヒーリングもしまして、より詳細に手当て傾聴や気功レッスンを行うことができたと確信しております。2日目の時にリピーターの方々がいらっしゃって彼らの容態の変化「昨日は本当によく眠れました、いつもは眠れないんですけど、有難う御座います」という言葉などが次々と話された時、何よりうれしかったです。シェリーは丁寧に、やさしく、ゆっくりを心がけ、避難者の方々にわかりやすく、笑顔で、ずっとボランティアをし続けてくださいました。私は震災後のボランティアコーディネイトなどの経験から、シェリーがどれほどにがんばってくれたかがわかります。1日で避難者の皆様の心をつかむことは本当に素晴らしい才能だと思います。
<Great Success>
Ours was a very great success. This is because, more than 20 evacuees joined in our healing of chi class in the morning and private healings in the afternoon and shared themselves many times during this period. Their distress, their sadness have been changing to smiles with Sherry' great volunteering activities with smile, easily to understand, slowly, and the best of Sherry is, I think, Sherry is talented with catching their hearts by heart-warming spirit. Because I have been volunteering as a coordinator in Fukushima for 1 and half years so I know how she is great,amazing, wonderful.
We have been invited to return and to expand our offering to other refugees in other cities in the Tohoku region, including Fukushima City and Iwaki City.
We want to continue what we have begun. We have proven we have a program that is of great value to these people. Though costing a relatively small amount of money, the benefits of our service are extremely large. (*ask to see our projected budget and more "testimony" about the healing sessions)
The first two programs were funded--both money and time--entirely by myself, Kuniyoshi and Hiroko.
Three plus years later and the tragedy continues. Thousands still cannot return to their homelands, compensation from the Government and/or TEPCO, the power plant which is still emitting radioactivity into the air and oceans, have not been sufficient and is drying up. Depression increases. Men in their 50's have no work, and just watch t.v. all day. Incidents of thyroid cancer in children is increasing. Parents are fearful. The people from affected areas need emotional support and tools to deal with the continuous challenges of isolation and deprivation.
All that is needed to continue and to expand TOHOKU : WASURENAI is sponsorship that will enable us to provide our service on a regular basis--3 or 4 times a year for two weeks each time, enabling us to reinforce and renew what was shared or taught, and continue the intimate support of these brave people in their on-going physical and emotional processing.
OUR VISION: TO BE ABLE TO CONTINUE TO ASSURE THE PEOPLE OF N.E. JAPAN:
YOU HAVE NOT BEEN FORGOTTEN
We want to continue what we have begun. We have proven we have a program that is of great value to these people. Though costing a relatively small amount of money, the benefits of our service are extremely large. (*ask to see our projected budget and more "testimony" about the healing sessions)
The first two programs were funded--both money and time--entirely by myself, Kuniyoshi and Hiroko.
Three plus years later and the tragedy continues. Thousands still cannot return to their homelands, compensation from the Government and/or TEPCO, the power plant which is still emitting radioactivity into the air and oceans, have not been sufficient and is drying up. Depression increases. Men in their 50's have no work, and just watch t.v. all day. Incidents of thyroid cancer in children is increasing. Parents are fearful. The people from affected areas need emotional support and tools to deal with the continuous challenges of isolation and deprivation.
All that is needed to continue and to expand TOHOKU : WASURENAI is sponsorship that will enable us to provide our service on a regular basis--3 or 4 times a year for two weeks each time, enabling us to reinforce and renew what was shared or taught, and continue the intimate support of these brave people in their on-going physical and emotional processing.
OUR VISION: TO BE ABLE TO CONTINUE TO ASSURE THE PEOPLE OF N.E. JAPAN:
YOU HAVE NOT BEEN FORGOTTEN
AFTERMATH PHOTOS, ONE YEAR AND A HALF LATER:
|
|