We were invited by the Rotary Club of Chiswick and Brentford to give a talk about the continuing work of Aid For Japan.
This Rotary Club in West London have supported the charity for many years, and this year they have generously donated the cost of a flight ticket for an orphan to come from Japan to England. We intend to use this ticket this Summer 2022, when we are planning to host some orphans and carers in England. We really hope they can come this year, as previously planned trips had to be cancelled due to Covid-19.
We spoke to the Rotary Club about the unexpected and tragic loss of Akemi Tanaka, the founder of the charity, which placed us in a difficult position of how to carry on without her leading the way.
After working together with our solid team of trustees and volunteers, we have managed to find a way to continue the good work, while continuing to support and connect with the original orphans of the tsunami.
“At the moment, Aid For Japan is getting ready for change, as most of the orphans have grown up into amazing adults. The charity’s aim is to let them tell their stories about how they survived the earthquake, how they coped afterwards and thrived. Our intention going forward is to bring more stories about the emotional impact natural disasters have on individuals and communities.”
This was the introduction to our talk. We hope to grow in numbers of orphans and survivors of the Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami who want to share their stories, as we give them a platform to be heard. This is what long-term emotional support looks like. We won’t forget about the orphans once they have become adults. Also, there is so much we could learn from their lived experience of natural disasters and coping with collective grief.
If you would like to find out more about the development of the charity, please come to our 11th Anniversary Event on 11th March 2022 held at the London Metropolitan Archives. Find out more here
