It is easy to see progress at the Udatsu Fishing Cooperative in Minamisanriku. Several months after the tsunami, the Cooperative built a small office to restore its operations. Peace Winds was there to provide office equipment that the Cooperative could not afford. From this small building the Udatsu Fishing Cooperative has led recovery efforts for its 400 members in northern Minamisanriku.
In June 2012 the Cooperative expanded its building. Again Peace Winds was there to outfit the new space with computers and a high-speed printer. Cooperative President Chiba-san expects the printer to reduce outsourced printing costs by 70 percent, saving the Cooperative nearly $400 every month. The equipment will enable the Cooperative to better communicate with members through newsletters and email alerts.
With your support we are making a difference in the northeast Japan.
Progress is also apparent for Udatsu Fishing Cooperative members, who had a successful wakame seaweed harvest in the 2012 spring. Peace Winds provided seaweed processing equipment. Now the fishing families are preparing for the fall/winter 2012 abalone season. Peace Winds is again delivering the necessary equipment - rods, hooks, abalone locators, and specialized paddles - for the first abalone harvest since the tsunami.
Peace Winds continues to work with the Udatsu Fishing Cooperative and its 400 members to accelerate economic recovery. You can help! From November 1 to 15, 2012, Global Giving will match 100% donations to the Revitalize the Fishing Industry in Northeast Japan project page.
Please spread the word about this great matching opportunity to your family and friends. Together we can help even more fishing families and communities regain their livelihoods.
Thank you for supporting disaster recovery in Japan!
A significant obstacle that remains for Minamisanriku fishing families is work and storage space. Prior to the March 2011 tsunami, fishing sheds were the “base of operations” of the family business. Sheds provided the space where men, women, and children would process seafood, prepare nets and ropes, and store equipment. After the tsunami, tents and tarps are all that replace many of the family work sheds.
Thank you for supporting the fishing sheds project. With your support, Peace Winds America (PWA) and our partner Grace Mission Tohoku (GMT) are rebuilding 42 fishing sheds in five Minamisanirku districts.
PWA, GMT, and Minamisanriku District Leaders identified work sheds as critical to the economic recovery of fishing families and communities. In each district PWA and GMT work closely with the District Leaders to serve community needs. The top priority of Baba-Nakayama District Leaders was a community fishing shed built in late August. The community shed stores equipment and supplies shared by fishing families. Also in Baba-Nakayama, PWA approved shed applications from 10 families that lost their homes. In the Niranohama District, PWA and GMT built sheds for 12 fishing families that are living in small temporary housing units. According to Niranohama District Leader Abe-san, the sheds are “necessary for these families to recover.”
PWA would like to expand this project throughout Minamisanriku. You can help! From November 1 to 15, Global Giving will match 100% donations to the Building Work Space for Fishing Families in Japan project page.
Spread the word about this great opportunity to your family and friends. Together, we can help even more families and communities regain their livelihoods in northeast Japan.
Thank you for supporting disaster recovery in Japan!
Minamisanriku fishing families work out of two locations: their boat and their fishing shed. The March 2011 tsunami destroyed the homes, boats, and sheds of numerous families. While many have now secured access to a boat, most families still lack a fishing shed. With your support Peace Winds America is building work and storage sheds for 40 fishing families that lost their homes and sheds in the March 2011 tsunami.
Yutaka Satoh and his wife, like many Minamisanriku fishing families, live in a small temporary housing unit several kilometers from the seashore. The tsunami destroyed the Satoh’s home and shed, leaving only the concrete foundations. PWA built a fishing shed for the Satoh family in August 2012. During a visit in September, PWA found the Satohs mending salmon nets, seeding wakame seaweed ropes, and repairing octopus traps. According to Yutaka Satoh, preparation is the key to successful fall and winter fishing seasons, and to regaining his livelihood. The fishing shed provides the work and storage space he needs to succeed.
With your support, PWA and partners are building 40 fishing sheds in five Minamisanriku districts. Already other Minamisanriku districts are taking notice, asking when PWA will expand the shed building program to their district. PWA hopes to build sheds throughout Minaminsanriku, and help restore the livelihoods of fishing families like the Satohs.
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