This project will take 40 children living near the crippled nuclear power plant from Minami Soma, Fukushima, on a special 3 days and 2 nights camp, in July, to a safe campsite area, where they can freely play outside. There will be lots of fun, arts and crafts, and support provided by dedicated staff, to alleviate the suffering and uncertainty that these children and their families have experienced since the nuclear meltdown, following the earthquake and tsunami of 2011.
The ongoing nuclear crisis in Fukushima, is bringing untold trauma, emotional and physical damage to children, who are restricted from playing outdoors. There are still highly contaminated areas, exclusion zones, and higher than normal radiation levels in areas where people reside. Bags of contaminated soil from cleanup work, waiting to go somewhere, dominate the landscape, and radiation monitoring posts dot the towns. Families are reminded of a fearful and uncertain future on a daily basis.
This project will take 40 children living in Minami Soma, Fukushima on a special 3 days and 2 nights camp to a safe campsite area in Tochigi Prefecture, near the famous Nikko area, where the children will be free to play outdoors. Children will be provided with games, craft activities, and camp fire. Children will be cared for by staff who will accompany them by bus from their home to the campsite, and back to their parents.
The goal of this project is to not only provide some temporary relief for the children from their home situations but to instill hope in the children which will benefit each family in the future. This will also help us build relationships with the families who can benefit from our regular programs and events in their city that are designed to provide ongoing support for the 26,000 families in Minami Soma alone.
