Saturday 26th March 2011
The death toll from the disaster at the last count is 10,418 with 17,072 people still unaccounted for. Obviously this shockingly high death toll will rise.
Sadly, many of the deaths may occur in the evacuation shelters. Food is short. Relief workers in Japan’s earthquake-stricken region are struggling to provide many residents with just two meals a day. Transport links to the affected areas are difficult. The weather is bitterly cold and conditions in the shelters - usually enormous halls - are bleak.
I want to raise awareness of a very special lady's mission to collect crucial items for the estimated 250,000 people displaced by the Tohoku Pacific earthquake on 11th March 2011.
Her name is Caroline Pover and you can find her details here but for ease of reading I've copied her latest post here so you can see what she needs and where she is going to be in the UK over the next few weeks.
Please help in any way you can.
Publicity - share this everywhere!
Donations, whether monetary of practical will be much appreciated.
At the time of writing (1415 GMT), Caroline is currently in the Plymouth Guildhall car park collecting items NOW!!
From Caroline:
"I was in Saipan when the earthquake hit Japan, and decided to travel to the UK, where I think my skills can best be put to good use for the time being in collecting much-needed supplies and encouraging British people to support the hundreds of thousands of people who have lost their homes.
I am travelling around the UK, giving talks to schools or any other community groups, sharing my love for Japan and all the reasons why I have made it my home for the past 15 years. I hope to connect the people I meet with images of very real people and places in Japan that are different from the horrific images they may have seen and might therefore be a little easier to relate to.
As media interest dies down, the people of Japan may be forgotten. I want them to know they are not forgotten and are in the hearts and minds of people throughout the world. In addition to gathering financial and practical support, I am also collecting items that provide emotional and spiritual support, such as thoughtful drawings or poems of encouragement made by young children. Children and adults, alone or in groups, are welcome to say words of support on my “Gambatte” video (see below for the first video, from the people of Newbury).
Hitachi Capital have very kindly lent me a van, and are covering all the insurance — they are keen to help in any way they can and I LOVE them for their positive and encouraging attitude! My favourite airline, Virgin Atlantic, are helping me get everything to Japan, and at that end Garin Dart and his team are driving items directly to where they are needed. No administration fees, no employee salaries, no unnecessary costs. Garin has a list that he gets directly from the people who need items. Right now I am collecting:
- nappies (for adults as well as children)
- new underwear
- new socks
- sanitary towels
- cotton buds
- nail clippers
- dry shampoo
- face masks
- toothbrushes (still in packaging please)
- toothpaste
- children’s toys
- children’s books
- empty jerry cans
- food: anything that is sealed with foil, does not require heating or preparing, and has a long shelf-life
- cling film
- items for pets: rolls of plastic bags (20cm x 30cm in size), 45L garbage bags, Ziplock bags, dog and cat shampoo, thick bath towels, sterile gauze, waterproof medical tape, pet first aid kits, unopened dog and cat treats, canned dog and cat food, de-wormers, flea-tick prevention
- cardboard boxes and masking tape
I am not a registered charity and neither are the people I am working with in Japan. If you are not comfortable in any way then please donate money or items to a registered charity but come along to hear about his wonderful country anyway. As yet there are no efforts in the UK that allow British people to donate non-cash items to Japan. Any cash I do receive I will send directly to Garin to use to pay for petrol for his trucks, and for him to buy items that cannot be sourced outside of Japan, and I have managed to get a bank here in the UK to waive the transfer fees.
Already so far I have received donations of 320 UK pounds. Thank you to Carol Lydon, Barry Goldstone, Auntie Mavis, and Sandy Pearce.
I plan on doing this without spending any of the donated money on anything but what is needed in Japan. Because of this I would like to sincerely thank the following for their kindness and generosity and urge you to use their services:
- t-shirt printing by GAZKAZ Promotional Wear
- vehicle signage by Crescent Signs
If you would like me to visit your school or community group I’d love to hear from you. The route is still being planned but is tentatively as follows:
- Plymouth area March 26th to 29th Contact info 01752-407857 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 01752-407857 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
- North Devon & Stroud areas March 30th to 31st
- Coventry, Shropshire, and Manchester areas April 1st to 5th
- Leighton Buzzard & Cambridge areas April 6th to 7th
- Twickenham & nearby London areas April 8th & 9th
- Bicester & Newbury areas April 10th to 11th Contact info 01635-40315 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 01635-40315 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Confirmed venues are as follows:
- Thursday 24th March 1:30pm St John the Evangelist School, Newbury CONTACT Suzette Pearce
- Tuesday 29th March 8:45–9am Plymstock School CONTACT Nick Johns (van will be parked at school until 10am)
- Wednesday 30th March
8:30–9am Plymouth College CONTACT Sharon Lambie (van will be parked at school until 10am)
11–11:20am Coombe Dean CONTACT Sara Fisher (van will be parked at school until 12:30pm)
1:30–3pm Downham Special School CONTACT Wendy Fisher - Thursday 31st March
9:10am South Mead Primary, Braunton CONTACT Donna Loftus (van will be parked at school until 10:30am)
1:50pm Farmor’s School, Gloucester CONTACT Andy Wareham - Friday 1st April 8:40–9am King Henry VIII School, Coventry CONTACT Nick Meynell
- Wednesday 6th April 9am Waterbeach Primary School, Cambridge CONTACT Cressida Downing
- Friday 8th April
9–11am Trafalgar Infant School, Twickenham CONTACT Tamsin Burland
Castleview, Slough Langley CONTACT Catherine Gorman
For me to visit areas outside of Newbury and Plymouth I need somewhere to stay (and honestly a sofa is fine!), and a full tank of petrol before I set off for the next location. I am really serious about not spending any of the money collected on things like hotels and petrol in the UK, and really appreciate your help with this. It would also be appreciated if you could contact your local media about the van visit so that people in your area who might not come along to the talk could still drop by and donate items.
I will update this page as much as possible, but please do keep an eye on my blog or Facebook page for the latest news. My contact number will change depending on where I am but at the moment can be reached on 01752-407857 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 01752-407857 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
