One year has passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami devastated one of the most picturesque regions of Japan and the Fukushima nuclear calamity almost brought the rest of the country to its knees.

The disaster, however, also brought out the heart-felt compassion from the rest of the world that looked on in horror at the destruction. We at Handmade For Japan witnessed this generous spirit and desire to help from all of you and together we were able to let the Japanese people know they were not alone in their most terrible moment of need.

We raised more than $100,000 that all went to providing post-disaster relief through GlobalGiving’s Japan Earthquake and Tsunami relief fund. Equally important was the idea that this diverse and disparate community of artists and concerned citizens that connected through Handmade for Japan could make a collective difference.

As we sadly remember the one-year anniversary of the disaster, Handmade For Japan wants to send out the message again that we continue to stand by our Japanese compatriots. To do this, we have produced a new version of our beloved bear logo and are offering a select line of products with this logo for sale at Cafe Press. Please help us let the victims know that they still occupy a special place in our thoughts and hearts by donating through our widget, or by purchasing items from our Cafe Press shop. 100% of the proceeds will be donated to the recovery effort.

As the rebuilding effort gathers pace in Eastern Japan, there is still so much that needs to be done. More than 320,000 people are still living in temporary shelters with little prospect of gaining access to permanent housing anytime soon. This is equivalent to the entire population of St. Louis, Missouri. These people have also had to endure one of the coldest winters in recent years.

Moreover, 25 million tons of debris has been collected in the post-disaster cleanup, much of which can be found in huge grotesque mounds that are an obstacle to the rebuilding process. These piles represent a painful reminder to the survivors of everything that they have lost and are also an environmental blot on the landscape.

Handmade for Japan and our global network of supporters want to send a clear and loud message of solidarity and support to the people of Japan and we are by your side in your long and arduous journey of recovery.

Watch the recovery efforts in Tohoku supported by GlobalGiving at: http://www.globalgiving.org/dy/fundraiser/prevfund/gg.html?regid=5005&RF=widget_fundraiser_large5005

This entry was posted on Saturday, March 10th, 2012 at 10:01 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.