By Kazue Saijo, Director of Asunaro Home in Rikuzen-Takata
At 2:46 pm on March 11, 2011, I felt the strongest earthquake tremor in my life. In less than one hour, a huge tsunami began to squash houses, commercial facilities, buildings, and virtually everything in our hometown, Rikuzen-Takata, in the southern part of Iwate Prefecture. Among 23,000 people in the city, over 20,000 lost their homes. It all happened in a moment.
Even in houses and buildings not affected by the tsunami, utilities such as power, telephone, water, and gas, were lost. It seemed so many people were missing. Survivors spent a night without sleep in total darkness. That night was frightening and also very cold for the people in Rikuzen-Takata because of the snow. The tsunami left huge amounts of debris. The total number of deaths and missing people in the city was over 2,000.
Asunaro Home, a workshop for mentally challenged people, has been in Rikuzen-Takata since 2006. This home does not have a dormitory. Every member of the home lives nearby. Fortunately, Asunaro Home is located on a hill and was not affected by the tsunami at all. But the ground was cracked by the earthquake.
Before the disaster, 39 members commuted to Asunaro everyday, and after the tsunami, 20 members lost their homes because of the tsunami. Before March 11, seven group resident houses for mentally challenged people existed in Rikuzen-Takata, but all these group homes were wiped out with the other houses in the city.
Those challenged people who lost their housing were brought to shelters and relatives and friends’ houses, and started to live with ordinary people. But some difficulties began arising for those challenged people to live in these tentative situations.
Rebuilding permanent housing for these mentally challenged people has become an urgent need. Asunaro Home has decided to build one group house for six people to live near its location. Dubbed as “Sun Sun Project,” we would like to provide not only an accommodation for challenged people but also a model facility of group housing in terms of safety and environmental efficiency.
Sun Sun Project Outline
Project Organizer: Government approved welfare provider, Sun Sun Kai Incorporated: Sun Sun Kai is the proprietor of Asunaro Home.
Location: Secure location from tsunami within the city limits of Rikuzen-Takata
Group Housing Facility Outline:
One story house with six bedrooms and one living room.
Other rooms: Dining area, bathing area, toilet facilities, and laundry area
Utility equipment: Solar power generator and environmentally friendly systems
Donations Needed:
Construction material
Housewares and other materials and equipment for living
Solar power generator and environmentally friendly systems
Construction fund of 30 million yen (approximately $375,000)
Project duration: May 2011 through December 2012
Fundraising:
You may send your donation to Asunaro Home by using PayPal. The account name is sunsun.gh.pro@gmail.com
Bank information: The Bank of Iwate, Ltd. Swift Code: BAIWJPJT.
Branch Name: Tono. Account Number: 018-2043381.
Beneficiary Name: SunSun GH Pro. Beneficiary Address: 37-1, Higashiwano, Takata-cho, Rikuzen-Takata, Iwate, 029-2205, Japan
For more information, visit www.SunSunProject.org/GroupHome