Education Japan Project #25405

Provide education tour for children in Kumamoto

by sweet treat 311

Provide education tour for children in Kumamoto

Project Report | May 8, 2018
Invitation tour date set for October!

By Gentaro Yui | Director

Cherry blossom!

Thank you always for your support to provide opportunities for children in Kumamoto.

Spring is finally here! Cherry trees in MORIUMIUS have bloomed beautifully. Birds are back in forest providing soothing sounds everyday.

Some of the highlights we had was collaboration with local elementary school to make miso as well as to provide presentation opportunity about their town to international visitors. Miso is only made in winter when bacteria is not active and easy to control. Presentation was made to students from University of Hong Kong. Both opportunity gave students realized the rich resources their hometown has, and gain proud to be children of Ogatsu.

We now have date set to invite children from Kumamoto. We are going to invite children from October 6 through 8. This is the three day holiday in Japan. As we have started to invite children from Kumamoto back in 2015, this invitatin tour has been annual occatin for us. We feel that it is important to be away from Kumamoto, comapre and think about their lives from other location. Also, children can feel and learn from Ogatsu, a town devastated by tsunami in 2011 and still in a process of recovering.

MORIUMIUS is a place to provide sustainable learning opportunities for children. Children including ones that are living in difficult conditions, inviting children from Kumamoto is certainly a special occation for us. We are working with local partners to spread word and plan for the tour in October.

I will keep you updated for the tour. Thank you again for your support, without it the opportunity will not be created.

Warm regards,

Gentaro Yui

Miso making by local children

Presentation of Ogatsu to University of Hong Kong

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Jan 30, 2018
Getting ready for a new exciting year!

By Gentaro Yui | Director

Dear supporter,

Happy new year! We are very thankful for your support in 2017. Last year was another special year for us, going into third year in operation receiving over one thousand children locally as well as internationally. Ninety four year old sturucture, former public elementary school is full of energy. Locals are feeling that their community once damaged by tsunami is revitalized. This winter has been a cold one, but we including animals are charging ourselves for spring/ summer season!

Local develepment is still slow. Permanent homes are almost completed, and locals are starting to coming back to their hometown. Local elementary school and middle school has opened its door in September 2017. There are many walls, about 9 meters tall, covering the coastal line to block big tsunami for the future.

We have organized second invitation tour of Kumamoto children last summer, participating to our one week program. Mixed with children gathered from all over the world, they have engaged many experiences in nature, with local people, as well as sustainble methods at MORIUMIUS. They seemed happy to be away from the disaster area, seemed relaxed and enjoyed spending time with other children.

I am going to visit Kumamoto in order to meet and discuss with our local partner to invite children in 2018. Planning to invite in summer or in fall. As Tohoku region becoming leader in reconstruction from disaster, I feel that we will keep trying to invite children from other disaster area. I hope being away from home create confort for those children as well as to feel the energy of reconstruction in ther area will empower them.

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,

Gentaro Yui

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Oct 30, 2017
Another successful invitation tour

By Gentaro Yui | Director

Dear MORIUMIUS supporters,

Thank you for your continuous support! MORIUMIUS has finished our third summer. It was a rainy summer, but over one hundred children attended our summer 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.

One week program is the prime program at MORIUMIUS. Only children stay for one week together learning from each other. Special occasion was the week of August 12, when we invited eight children from Kumamoto joined the program. This is the second time we invited children from Kumamoto, those who lost their homes by earthquake in 2016. Although the weather was not perfect, they all enjoyed the nature, local people, and staying with other children for one week. Not only they learned about sustainability of nature and life, they were also impacted by the storyteller’s story of what happened in 2011. Also, they seemed to be impacted by how slow the recovery process is.

Residence artist and member of the JET program took role to add extra diverse value to their stay. Creating art in nature, using natural materials, discussing with artists and other children was such an creative learning time. Big art piece was created by children from Kumamoto to represent the forest behind MORIUMIUS.

On the last day at MORIUMIUS, we have tradition that group of children will give presentation to children arriving to stay next week. Leaving group will present what will happen for the next one week stay. A couple children from Kumamoto cried looking back and telling the story of their stay. It was very touching moment, they expressed their joy and sadness of leaving MORIUMIUS. We all miss them, but will continue to grow the relationship with them.

We are continuting to invite children from Kumamoto. Please

Walking in the mountain to trace water source

Collecting materials with residence artist from UK

Creating tree from leaves children painted

Joining local BBQ

Listening to local storyteller

Links:

MORIUMIUS web site

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