Education Japan Project #25405

Provide education tour for children in Kumamoto

by sweet treat 311

Provide education tour for children in Kumamoto

Project Report | Jun 15, 2021
Ten years have been past

By Gentaro Yui | Director

Dear supporters,

Thank your for your continuous support.

Ten years have past since the earthquake and tsunami disaster in 2011. We have been in operation for over five years, and helping the community for close to ten years. Permanent stores are finally completed last year, and ten meter concrete wall have been constructed to cover the bay to prevent another giant tsunami if in case it happens. The city has authorized the plan to create agricultural park in the center of Ogatsu where tsunami damage was severe. Although ten years have been past, I feel that the revitalization process will take place for the next ten years. Impact of COVID-19 pandemic is still affecting our center.

Since April, we have slowly receiving families over weekends. Although school and corporate groups are not planning trips to us, we have created guidelines to prevent infection at our facility. We were able to organized photo workshop with celebrated photographer in May. Children were challenged to see nature in different perspectives through camera. Perspectives like insects, animals, even adult. Many commented that they saw the world completely different, gave them another perspective and will cherish it. I felt that children were more active and needed to be in nature than usual because of the COVID-19.

Vaccine distribution is slow in Japan, and pandemic will continue for a while, we will try our best to keep this environment ready for children. We have started to communicate with people in Kumamoto to arrange tour in fall. Although some regions in Japan is still under lockdown, we are discussing the possibility to invite children from Kumamoto.

Hoping the people who are infected will recover, and pandemic will be contained soon this year. We need your support to keep MORIUMIUS survive this pandemic, so that we will be able to keep providing sustainable learning for children and to revitalize community from disaster.

Warm regards,

Gentaro Yui

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Feb 17, 2021
COVID-19 impact still affecting

By Gentaro Yui | Director

Aug 18, 2020
COVID-19 impact on MORIUMIUS

By Gentaro Yui | Director

Dear supporters,

Thank you for your continuous support.

Since March, we have had impact by COVID-19 pandemic. As you might know, Japan is also affected by the virus and there are still numbers of infected daily. The government planned voluntary lockdown for the month of April in and also in May for greater Tokyo and surrounding prefectures. Although infection rate is relatively low compared to western countries, things are quiet.

MORIUMIUS have not had children visiting since April and will be closed for June and maybe July. We have been living quietly and seeking timing to restart the center, but it is difficult to predict how and when pandemic will be calmed. We believe it will be a long process for things to calm down and have to come up with new ideas to operate MORIUMIUS as well as find creative new step in education.

Since April, we have been providing online programs sending fresh local seafood from fisherman to home, connecting families online to slice whole fish and cook. Not only cooking, we show live footage of how MORIUMIUS and surrounding natural environment with animals we live with. Many groups and families planning to visit were able to see/ hear the environment through PC/ tablet felt like they traveled to MORIUMIUS. Also, children were serious and joyful facing whole fish t slice as well as to cook for family’s dinner dish. Since the experience took place at home, children seemed relaxed and parents were supportive. Attched link is an article from Japanese magazine LEE on the program.

Many comments were sent to us from families like, "Saw what I normally would not be able to see from my child, really felt the possibility of him.", "Made our family realized how important food/ meal is. To cook together, understanding where the food comes from, and enjoy eating together made us all happier.", "Because we are all at home every day, it was a great opportunity to take time to focus on what we eat.".

We are now planning to provide our online program to the next level. Connecting to orphanages and foster homes to provide active engaging online programs to children who live in a difficult circumstance. Children in Kumamoto will be invited once this pandemic is over.

Please consider supporting our programs so that MORIUMIUS itself could be sustainable in this difficult time.

Warm regards,

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