It has been 10 years since almost 20,000 lives were lost in the Great East Japan Earthquake, Tsunami and Nuclear Disaster. The radiation levels have continued to decrease around the Fukushima reactors and now the no-go zone is only about 30 per cent of the original designated area. This has allowed some evacuees to return to their homes, but there are still many municipalities that continue to ban entry to residents and provide no date of reopening because of high radiation levels. The Japanese government continues to struggle with the almighty task of removing 900 tons of melted reactor debris in the three crumpled nuclear reactors.

While the road to recovery remains long and arduous, on this anniversary we would like to share the positive news of a grand milestone reached by OISCA, one of the organizations that was funded by money raised by Handmade for Japan and donated through GlobalGiving. 

OISCA is involved in the restoration of uprooted forests along the coast of Natori in Miyagi prefecture. These coastal forests act as a buffer zone to mitigate the impact of tsunami, and OISCA aims to regenerate 100 hectares of coastal forest to lessen the impact of future disasters. In October 2020, OISCA reached its goal of planting 370,000 black pine trees and has now entered the next phase of nurturing and maintaining the seedlings.

So on this 10^th anniversary, we would like to thank you once again for being a part of Handmade for Japan and for standing up to help the victims of this disaster. It is so hopeful to think that our joint efforts have helped the areas devastated by the disaster to plant trees for future generations. And if you can, please consider giving once more to help these trees to grow and provide a green barrier of natural protection.

Donations on GlobalGiving up to $50 will be matched at 50% from March 8-12, 2021