We Care Japan

KVH has requested that we send out a press release regarding the We Care Japan portal – http://www.wecarejapan.org/#!en 
Created in response to the BCCJ Disaster Relief forum on March 31.

The key to the site’s success was always going to hinge upon buy in from the NPOs / volunteers, regarding the needs / gaps in relief they were aware of.

BCCJ Disaster Relief Forum opens “We care! Japan (http://wecarejapan.org/)”
Japanese/English information matching website
to help facilitate the flow of aid to hard-to-reach disaster areas in Tohoku

- This open-network site enables the fine-tuned, timely allocation of aid and support from non-Japanese communities in response to the needs of survivors who are not living in emergency shelters -

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May 30 2011 - Almost three months on from the twin disasters of March 11, and gaps in aid delivery to Tohoku still exist. While infrastructure is being successfully rebuilt, survivors are moving from emergency shelters into temporary housing, and NPOs are carrying out well-defined first and second tier relief activities, the British Chamber of Commerce in Japan (BCCJ) is still receiving reports of communities and individuals who are struggling to survive on little or no food.

We urge all friends of Japan not to become complacent about Tohoku relief.

Since disaster struck, the BCCJ has been actively engaged in a variety of activities to support the recovery of Tohoku - including the distribution of information from NPOs and individual volunteers, as well as calls for donations to its individual and corporate members, both inside and outside of Japan.

While a great number of organizations and individuals have donated money, goods and services in response to this information, it continues to be challenging to accurately identify exactly what is needed, where, and by whom, particularly in areas that are less “user-friendly”.

Stemming from the BCCJ’s Disaster Relief Forum held at the British Embassy on March 31 2011, www.wecarejapan.org has been created to help facilitate the flow of information between those requiring assistance in hard-to-reach areas in Tohoku and those in a position to offer aid.

We Care! Japan has been designed to enable users to directly post requests for aid in either English or Japanese, aiming at a short turnaround for finding donors. In turn, all posts are translated by WeCare! Japan volunteers, to ensure bilingual access for all users - essentially enabling non-Japanese communities and individuals to provide aid more efficiently. The site does not discriminate - posts are welcome from NPOs, independent volunteers, drivers, shelters and survivors. The purpose is clear: to have specific aid delivered where it is needed, fast.

Have you found a school in Iwate that desperately needs water? A community of survivors in Miyagi that remains outside the reach of prefectural distribution shelters? We Care! Japan offers a portal for responding to these needs.

The BCCJ sincerely hopes that the We Care! Japan site will allow seekers of aid to find relevant offers of support, ultimately extending our reach beyond national boundaries and language barriers and leading to an expanded support network for rejuvenation activities in north eastern Japan.

Thank you for your continued support.