By Yoshitaka Okada | Board Members
Redevelopment is a process of facing difficulties one by one. Kirarin Kids (KK) in Rikuzentakata City has been overcoming many difficulties to reach the present stage. It is very much owing to its firm belief and commitment to create favorable environments in the city for parents and children to grow nicely. They emphasize not only to create stimulating environments for mothers to have children, but also to transmit valuable culture of Tohoku Area to preserve tradition. They are trying to create balanced environments mixing modern and traditional, with which people identify the community as “furusato (hometown)” and to whichpeople feel belongingness as well as commitment to improve community relations. Thus, KK offers many programs to support parents to raise children, such as parents’ play time with children, Excursion to the Sunshine House (Picture 1 and 2), Visit by Toy Library Car, Pre-mother Day, Physical Checking Day, Bouquet-making Class. Traditional Food Cooking, Talk with Mayor, Session on After-childbirth conducted by a midwife, Talking with the Mayer, Summer Festival, Aromatic Therapy, etc. KK has a plenty of programs to attract many parents and children. They are also continuously venturing into a new field to create warm relations between parents and children.
The present city government subsidies and revenues in a free facility provided by the Prefectural Government are just enough to keep KK’s present activities implemented with staffs’ commitment and devotion. Now, seven years after the disaster, the government is pulling out most of supports, warning privately-operated organizations to move out of the facility or pay about \65,000 to \80,000 per month to a privatized organization which operates the previously free facilities. It is generating a difficult financial burden to KK, forcing them to look for an alternative place either free or with much lower monthly rent. They have not succeeded yet. Naturally, free places are difficult to find, while the rent of alternative place is not certain whether KK can manage their move to a new place. Still it may take for a while to know whether they can find an alternative place. They looked for a facility in vain. If they decide to close, it will be a great loss to Rikuzentakata. A significant number of parents and children will enormously get disappointed, if this happens.
Now, KK has urgent needs for financial supports to get them going until an alternative place can be found with a manageable monthly rent. They are facing another very-difficult challenge to build their future, basically to overcome the last hurdle in the last stage of redevelopment. Your support is very much in need to enable KK to find a good location to sustainably operate and achieve their valuable goals in Rikuzentakata.
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