Education Japan Project #16403

Rebuilding community from tsunami with education

by sweet treat 311

Rebuilding community from tsunami with education

Project Report | Jan 3, 2017
Happy New Year!

By Gentaro Yui | Director

Dear supporter,

Happy new year! We are very thankful for your continuous support in 2016. Last year was another special year for us, going into second year in operation receiving more children locally as well as internationally. Over one thousand children have gathered to MORIUMIUS. Once an abandoned school is full of energy. Locals are starting to feel that their community once damaged by tsunami is been revitalized.

Local develepment is still slow. Permanent homes are almost completed, and locals are starting to coming back to their hometown. Local elementary school is under construction, and is planned to be opened in July 2017.

It was the season for rice rice harvest of rice. Children participated in cutting rice plant out from the rice field in front of MORIUMIUS. It was easy to cut, but difficult to dry. Many of them have finally realized how the rice they eat everyday have grown and produced. This rice field was build to recycle waste water from the facility in order to reuse and create natural lives. It is one of the system to feel sustainability.

One of the highlight for fall/ winter season is to invite local children who's family members were victimized. Working with NPOs supporting those children, children seemed very happy to be in nature, and to be with children gathering from around the world.

Also in October, we have organized to invite children from Kumamoto Prefecture, southern part of Japan where massive earthquake struck in April. Fifteen children who have lost their homes visited us to join our annual sporting event. Sporting event is a seasonal event where many locals gather to participate various sport programs together. Many children as well as volunteers joins this occation. Children from Kumamoto enjoyed the event, they seemed happy to be away from the disaster area since aftershock has still been happening. We are trying to create another opportunity for these children to be invited. We have created a project page in Global Giving to raise fund for invitation tour.

https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/kumamoto-to-moriumius

Thank you again for your support. Without it, we would not be able to provide unique learning opportunities as well as interaction to local communities. I hope to grow and continue this great venture so that the community will revitalize through education.

Warm regards,

Cutting rice plant from rice field

Drying in an natural way

Highlight of the sporting event

Kumamoto children perform dance from their region

Children and locals get together

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Oct 7, 2016
Another exciting summer!

By Gentaro Yui | Director

Dear supporters,

Thank you for your continuous support! MORIUMIUS has finished our second summer. It was a rainy summer but more than one hudred children joined our one week program. Mixture of local, national, and international children gathered to MORIUMIUS to enjoy the nature as well as to interact with local people. Learning sustainable living through experiences in forest, farm land, and ocean were the theme here, adding local culture and history of what happen on March 11, 2011.

It has been over five and a half year since the disaster struck this region. Permanent homes have finally been built, and locals are starting to come back to their hometown. We have been inviting local children who's family members were victimized. They are very happy to be in nature, and to be with children gathering from around the world.

Artist at MORIUMIUS project started in summer, receving three artist from New Zealand, Canada, and from USA. They have provided creative moments for children but also for the local community. A home of a local lady who do not usually go out was turned into a place for art workshop. Locals enjoyed new experience, spending memorable time with an artist.

Also, we have had special guest such as former chef at world renowned restaurant "El Bulli" in Spain as well as theatical director in Broadway creating special programs for children. Their special talent added unique experiences that children could not gain.

Warm regards,

Links:

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Jul 6, 2016
Getting ready for summer

By Gentaro Yui | Director

Dear supporters,

Thank you for all of your support to MORIUMIUS. As summer approaches, we are turning into second year of operation.

Season of rice arrive in May. On a sunny day, local children gathered to plant rice in the field. The plant was gorwn from rice we cropped last year. Not only organic, but original rice is now been grown at MORIUMIUS and waiting to be cropped in fall. Also in May, famous photograper, Mikio Hasui joined to organize photo workshop. Eleven children gather materials from nature for them to capture the beauty using professional camera in a special photo studio.

One of the key event in spring was Washington High School from San Francisco visited us in June. Nineteen students who raised fund to travel to Japan spent three days at MORIUMIUS helping the local community as well as particpate in sustainable learning program to understand sustainability of life.

We are getting ready to receive children gathering from all over the world. From July 23, we are going to organize five one week programs for children to be in touch with the nature and interact with local community. There will be three artists creating art and working with children as residence artist. They are from Canada, New Zealand, and from US. Children will have opportunity to be creative in a rich natural surroundings.

Also, special programs will be hosted this summer. Tetsuo Ota, reknown chef who has worked at legendary Spanish restaurant El Bulli and Peru's Gaston Acurio will be spending time to create cooking program using local seafood in Italian style. Makiko Shibuya, stage director for Broadway musical Allegiance will be directing a short play for children to perform their experiences at MORIUMIUS.

Seems like we will be having another exciting summer!

Links:

Artist at MORIUMIUS, photo workshop

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