Provide education tour for children in Kumamoto

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