Donate Direct Relief Japan Social Media support blog4japan

Donations: How do we get them to the people who really need help? We have watched in disasters millions of dollars being raised and given to the Red Cross yet we see the people on TV still in despair. Abandoned. At a safe distance away we see the Red Cross feed the relief workers and those who can make it to them. Having watched first hand people who needed immediate help be turned away because their insurance would cover them several months down the road – I have always looked for better ways to help.

Update Japan Cleanup with pictures June 10

Really help! Twitter hastag #blog4japan Social Media is a great way to connect people to real disaster help organizations whom will go into the situation right away and help. Japan needs a lot of help right now!

Fellow travel writer Todd Wassel @toddwassel was in Japan on March 11, 2011 and shares his experience in his posting of that day and his leaving for another assignment already in the planning stages. His family was left behind. Get on his email list to find out other ways you might help. Links to his posts are at the end.

Todd has provided some names of organizations directly in Japan whom he and his family trust. He and his wife  are a relief worker with the United Nations. His wife is from Tokyo. He has provided a list which I will reproduce here: At the bottom I will put links to all his blogs and others who are writing to help Japanese people directly.

Japanese Organizations We (Todd’s Family) Trust

Please consider donating to one or more of these organizations. All are local Japanese organizations and we have found the English Pages for you. Even a small amount like $10 is useful, but we hope you donate more!

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 hygienic items, clothes and other essentials to the survivors of the Japan Tsunami. 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.

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 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.

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.

The Institute for Cultural Affairs Japan (ICA) is still assessing the situation but is accepting donations. You can Donate Here.

All of these are worthy organizations to support and  you can match your own personal interests to the organization that you think will work the best on what you want to support. Even if you are unable to donate please pass this on through social media, word of mouth or even in print. I have waived all rights to this post so please feel free to copy and reproduce any part of it for the good of the Japanese people.

If you do want to reproduce this please see the Blog4Japan page where you can find out more details.

Thank you from my family and friends who have been affected by this terrible disaster.

Todds Links

• http://www.toddswanderings.com/2011/03/how-to-help-japan-earthquake-tsunami-survivors.html
• http://www.toddswanderings.com/blog-for-japan
• http://www.toddswanderings.com/2011/03/my-experience-during-the-japan-earthquake.html

Other writers supporting #blog4japan

• http://ahealedheart.lisaoverman.com/2011/04/01/how-to-help-japans-earth-quake-and-tsunami-survivors/
• http://www.solotravelgirl.com/blog4japan-resources-to-support-japan/

** The first two organizations are my choice because they look like they really go in and help. Remember do your due diligence and help whatever way you can. Blog about. Donate. Find another way to help.

As I have watched the pictures of the portion of the country destroyed by nature with probably somewhat of human hand in the negligence of preparation with very old nuclear plants which are dangerous to start with. We saw what nuclear could do to destroy and murder millions of people during the last War II. The images reminded me of my grandmothers pictures in the attic of the atrocities done during WAR II all over the planet, which are very real and frightening. Diane Sawyer showed the two pictures with the archway and everything destroyed around it. How will they ever clean it all up? How do you move on from this?

Other resources about the Earthquake in Japan

• http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/worldnews/8390718/Japan-earthquake-30-pictures-of-boats-and-ships-swept-ashore-by-the-tsunami.html
• http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=earthquake+in+japan&aq=2
• http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1605260179420

Bloggers who are participating in Blog4Japan

• Solo Travel Girl
• Lisa Overman
• Todds Wanderings
• Social Media School

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Eileen Lud­wig of Social Media School brings to the world decades of com­puter expe­ri­ence with a desire to learn and share cur­rent tech­nol­ogy mul­ti­me­dia tools for com­mu­ni­ca­tion. She is owner of four sites: Free­lance­Tourist , Dig­i­tal Pho­tog­ra­phy, Web Design School, and Social Media School Each are in dif­fer­ent stages of devel­op­ment and evolution.

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