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Japan Relief Efforts
Congratulations to all those who donated towards Japan Relief Efforts!
We partnered with the organization Doctors Without Borders and supported the deployment of a wanter tank kit for victims of the earthquake and tsunami.
Due to the 9.0 magnitude earthquake and violent tsunami that devasted Japan in March 2011, the country currently faced serious problems affecting thousands of people living in Japan. Immediately after the natural disasters, many people were living in evacuation centers without adequate access to clean water among other things.
Throughout March and April 2011, the Water Well-ness Project organized a fundraising effort to help Japanese people in need. With support from many donors, we raised several hundred dollars to help deploy a water tank kit in Japan handled by the organization Doctors Without Borders.
Water tank kits enable water and sanitation teams to fill plastic water tanks, known as ‘bladders’, with water that can be chlorinated and transported to people in need. These tanks are used in emergency situations, such as when people are displaced.
Look below to read our article published in the North Renfrew Times about the water issues that Japan faced.
Water, Water, Everywhere, but Not a Drop to Drink
In the wake of a natural disaster in Japan, we witness the whole world coming together to help a nation in need. The ferocity of nature really becomes apparent when such a technologically prepared nation like Japan can be devastated in the way it has. Despite all the preparedness that the country is prided for, hundreds of thousands of people were displaced, with the CBC reporting more than 430,000 people living in evacuation centres at one point during the crisis.
Since we run a non-profit organization focused on international water issues, we immediately recognized the implications a disaster like this has on the most basic necessity of life, water. Firstly, the 9.0 magnitude earthquake that struck Japan would have undoubtedly damaged both below- and above-ground infrastructure that supply houses and businesses with clean water. Secondly, the intense tsunami that blasted the shore and flooded hundreds of acres of land would have definitely contaminated many rural sources of clean water, making water for kilometres undrinkable and unusable. These problems alone may take months or years to fix, leaving significant amounts of people in a state of desperation. And now, because of the complications with the nuclear reactors in Fukushima, radiation contamination may be a serious problem that plagues not only the people, but also the water supply in Japan for some time to come.
One disaster is more than enough to deal with for a country, so we realize how intense dealing with three disasters is for Japan currently. As we sit here in Canada watching what is going on across the ocean we empathize with the people of Japan and feel motivated to help improve their situation.
We thought it would be a great idea if we could mobilize as many people as possible to help towards funding a Water Tank Kit, of value $2650, for the thousands of people who are living without adequate water in evacuation centers. Water Well-ness Project will be partnering with the organization Doctors Without Borders who are currently in Japan providing medical care as well as water and sanitation facilities, such as these water tanks. We invite the community to join our initiative and donate money through our website to help us reach our goal. If you would like more information on how to donate or about this project, email us at info@waterwellnessproject.ca.
