Minato Dai-ni Elementary School

In Japan, there are still thousands of people suffering from the damage of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.

The Sasebo chapter donated blankets to shelters in Tohuku and cases of diapers and baby wipes to an organization (Peace Jam) working with groups of mothers with small children in Miyagi, who had been facing great challenges since the disaster.

An elementary school called Minato Dai-ni Shogakko in the town of Miyagi-ken, in Ishinomaki, had a wish list for two adult bikes, ten unicycles and three vacuum cleaners. The Sasebo chapter donated all of these items.

This school was hit by the tsunami, and the children and teachers were trapped on the upper floors of the building for three days. They stripped the curtains from the windows to help keep them warm. The government arrived to help on the seventh day. The school (now an empty shell cleaned of debris by the army) continues to be used as a community safe spot as well as a temporary school.

We are so grateful to our associate members, our supporters at the Units Overseas Luncheon at NSDAR Continental Congress, and others who have donated, all of whom enable us to reach out to the victims of the Tohoku Disaster. They will need ongoing aid, and we hope to continue to help them.