Below is an email Pam and I received from the Japan relief Fund folks. enjoy
David
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Dear David:
This note is to express deepest thanks again for your generosity and to explain how your contribution to Direct Relief is being used to help people in Japan following the earthquake and tsunami one month ago.
Your generosity has made a critical difference to Direct Reliefs emergency response, which already has enabled basic emergency aid to reach thousands of people displaced from or still living in the hardest-hit areas.
In the first days after the quake and tsunami, Direct Relief formed an alliance with the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), the oldest Asian American organization in the U.S. The two organizations established the Japan Relief and Recovery Fund with a clear-cut policy that 100 percent of donations will be used only for Japan and with a particular emphasis of assisting people who are most vulnerable in the crisis, including persons who have disabilities or are elderly, because of the special challenges they face.
This joint effort, including your donation, has allowed rapid action to assist in immediate humanitarian needs and also to establish greater coordination among local Japanese nonprofit organizations providing critical services as Japanese national and local governments struggle to meet demands on an unprecedented scale for the country. Over 200,000 people remain in shelters or in homes without running water or electricity in areas where nighttime temperatures are near freezing.
Over $1.4 million56 percent of the funds that have been received to datehave been granted over the past month. Direct Relief and JACL joined with faculty from Meiji Gaikuin University to identify gaps and provide a transparent, coherent, and efficient structure for local Japanese nonprofit organizations to receive financial support for on-the-ground activities.
The following six organizations have received funding to initiate, expand, or continue essential services:
Your personal involvement and generosity has translated directly into each of the activities noted above and will continue to assist people who have experienced a profound tragedy and face severe challenges in the months ahead.
Thank you again for what you have done to help people in Japan during their critical hour of need.
Direct Relief International
(805) 964-4767
P.S. For expanded updates on the Japan response and Direct Reliefs efforts in the U.S. and more than 70 countries, please visit www.DirectRelief.org
Connect with Direct Relief on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter @directrelief
David
==========================================
Dear David:
This note is to express deepest thanks again for your generosity and to explain how your contribution to Direct Relief is being used to help people in Japan following the earthquake and tsunami one month ago.
Your generosity has made a critical difference to Direct Reliefs emergency response, which already has enabled basic emergency aid to reach thousands of people displaced from or still living in the hardest-hit areas.
In the first days after the quake and tsunami, Direct Relief formed an alliance with the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), the oldest Asian American organization in the U.S. The two organizations established the Japan Relief and Recovery Fund with a clear-cut policy that 100 percent of donations will be used only for Japan and with a particular emphasis of assisting people who are most vulnerable in the crisis, including persons who have disabilities or are elderly, because of the special challenges they face.
This joint effort, including your donation, has allowed rapid action to assist in immediate humanitarian needs and also to establish greater coordination among local Japanese nonprofit organizations providing critical services as Japanese national and local governments struggle to meet demands on an unprecedented scale for the country. Over 200,000 people remain in shelters or in homes without running water or electricity in areas where nighttime temperatures are near freezing.
Over $1.4 million56 percent of the funds that have been received to datehave been granted over the past month. Direct Relief and JACL joined with faculty from Meiji Gaikuin University to identify gaps and provide a transparent, coherent, and efficient structure for local Japanese nonprofit organizations to receive financial support for on-the-ground activities.
The following six organizations have received funding to initiate, expand, or continue essential services:
- <LI style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1" class=MsoNormal>Association for Aid and Relief Japan (AAR Japan), a 31-year-old leading Japanese nonprofit, nongovernmental organization that launched relief efforts immediately following the earthquake and tsunami. AAR has delivered food, six tons of water, 3,200 liters of kerosene, 3,400 sleeping bags, warm clothes, and hygiene supplies to 20 care centers. AAR has assisted more than 15,000 people in the affected areas, particularly the elderly and disabled. <LI style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1" class=MsoNormal>Japan NGO Center for International Cooperation (JANIC) is the coordinating body for groups responding to the disaster. Support will help ensure that NGOs working in the affected areas can be as productive as possible in providing assistance to people in need. <LI style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1" class=MsoNormal>Service for Health in Asian and African Regions (SHARE) is sending a team of doctors, nurses, and logisticians to the Tohoku International Clinic and operating a mobile clinic in areas where all health facilities have been destroyed. The SHARE team will re-establish a visiting nurse care center in Kesen Numa City, home to many elderly people who have remained in their damaged homes. <LI style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1" class=MsoNormal>Shanti Volunteer Association is transporting relief supplies to remote and scattered evacuation centers in Kesen Numa City, providing hot meals for people living in and out of evacuation centers, clearing debris from homes, and transporting people to bathing areas. <LI style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1" class=MsoNormal>Shapla Neer is operating in the area immediately south of the ...ushima Daiichi nuclear reactor where other NGOs arent working. It has partnered with the local government to establish the Iwaki City Nakoso District Volunteer Center, where the districts response is coordinated with local government entities and nonprofit groups. Shapla Neer will match volunteers with people in need and establish a volunteer intake system. A well-coordinated and supported volunteer center is vital to guarantee that no person in need is overlooked.
- Japanese International Volunteer Center (JVC) is launching a nutritional support program to bring vegetables and other food to distribution sites, supplying displaced people with nutritious food while supporting local farmers. JVC is also matching volunteers with people who need assistance.
Your personal involvement and generosity has translated directly into each of the activities noted above and will continue to assist people who have experienced a profound tragedy and face severe challenges in the months ahead.
Thank you again for what you have done to help people in Japan during their critical hour of need.
Direct Relief International
(805) 964-4767
P.S. For expanded updates on the Japan response and Direct Reliefs efforts in the U.S. and more than 70 countries, please visit www.DirectRelief.org
Connect with Direct Relief on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter @directrelief
