may project preview: help japan’s earthquake and tsunami survivors with 8 days of giving for japan

Inspired by Todd Wassel over at Todd’s Wanderings and his Blog for Japan campaign, I’ve decided to dedicate my final project of The Global Citizen Project (TGCP) to helping the survivors of the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

The earthquake and tsunami have caused extensive and severe damage in Northeastern Japan, over 9,500 people have been confirmed dead and another 16,000 are missing, and millions more affected by lack of electricity, water and transportation. The images of the destruction and suffering have shocked the world. However, with the World Bank reporting over 300 billion USD in damages and families torn apart there is a need for everyone to help both financially and emotionally.

Several weeks ago, Todd posted about his experience during the Japan earthquake and made a plea to readers to spread the word about helping Japan recover. His wife is from Tokyo and they are both professional aid and recovery workers with the United Nations. They have seen the recovery phase of the 2004 Tsunami up close and know there is a tremendous need to not only raise donations but to make sure those funds are used responsibly and are in the hands of organizations with not only technical expertise but also local knowledge.

Here’s where TGCP comes in. Since it isn’t feasible for me to go to Japan to lend a helping hand, I can offer my next best skill – social media fundraising magic.

From May 9th through May 16th, TGCP will host 8 Days of Giving to Japan. This 8-day digital event will tie-into Todd’s Blog for Japan efforts. A lot of people around the world want to help and have been donating to various international organizations (mainly the American Red Cross). Todd thinks this is great and with the money being transferred to the Japanese Red Cross this money will be used well. However, he also believes there is a need to donate funds directly to local Japanese organizations and NGOs that don’t have access to this type of fund raising. As such, he and his wife have put together a list of Japanese organizations that they know, trust and recommend to channel donations to.

8 Days of Giving to Japan will highlight a different Japanese aid relief organization each day and encourage people to donate directly to these recommended charities. All social media outreach will include #blog4japan, #8daysjapan and the highlighted organization’s hashtag.

Here are the recommended Japanese organizations:

Please consider donating to one or more of these organizations. All are local Japanese organizations, but links connect to English pages. Even a small amount like $10 is useful.

Peace Winds Japan is one of the largest Japanese organizations providing humanitarian relief such as food, clothing, fuel and medical supplies to the affected areas. You can donate here.

JEN is a well known NGO dedicated to restoring a self-supporting livelihood both economically and mentally to those who have been stricken with hardship due to conflicts and disasters. They are currently supporting emergency relief items such as food, woman’s hygenic items, clothes and other essentials to the survivors of the Japan Tsunami. You can donate here.

Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is donating food and essential items to the survivors of the tsunami. They also keep a well maintained English blog of their activities in Japan for the tsunami which you can follow here. You can donate here.

The Japan Organization for International Cooperation in Family Planning (JOICF) is taking donations for their response to the tsunami that will focus on the reproductive health needs of women and mothers in affected areas. You can donate here.

Save the Children has been working in Japan for over 25 years. Their American partner is now collecting donations for them in English (which eliminates any credit card exchange charges. They have set up multiple child-friendly spaces in evacuation centers in Sendai City where displaced families are staying. They are also starting their long-term recovery plans to restore education and child care in communities ravaged by the disasters. You can get information on activities and donate here.

The Association of Medical Doctors of Asia (AMDA Japan) team is delivering essential medical services through mobile clinics and delivering relief goods to the nursing homes and schools (evacuation shelters) in Aoba and Miyagino Wards. You can donate here.

OXFAM Japan is working with two partners in Japan on providing support to those on the margins of society who might otherwise have difficulty accessing emergency relief. One group is assisting mothers and babies and the other is providing information to non-Japanese speakers living in Japan. You can donate here.

Habitat For Humanity Japan is still assessing the situation but will be involved in the reconstruction of housing once the emergency period ends. This is one of the most vital aspects of recovery and the homeless will need a lot of help to put their lives back together. You can donate here.

8 Days of Giving to Japan Line-Up

Monday, May 9 – Peace Winds Japan
Tuesday, May 10 – JEN
Wednesday, May 11 – Adra Japan
Thursday, May 12 – JOICF
Friday, May 13 – Oxfam Japan
Saturday, May 14 - AMDA
Sunday, May 15  Save The Children
Monday, May 16 – Habitat for Humanity

Extra Credit:  If you are unable to donate, please share this page with your friends, family and coworkers through e-mail, Facebook, Twitter or any other outlet you can think of. The more people who see this page the greater the donations will be.

If you are blogger or have your own website, please see the Blog4Japan page to learn how you can utilize this appeal on your own site and help us reach even more people.