一般財団法人　連帯　東北・西南　RENTAI　TOHOKU-SEINAN

Reported by Ryu and Tahel, Staff of Rentai Tohoku　
We held a Pakistani Curry Party at the temporary house in Okiarai Aza Horei, Sanriku-cho, Ofunato-city on the 2nd October (Sun).
With cooperation from Ofunato Social Welfare Council and Nippon International Cooperation for Community Development, we aimed at enhancing communication among the residents through the party.

 

○Horei Temporary House
As the houses near Horei Station were all destroyed by tsunami, a benefactor (Mr. O) offered his field in the mountains to build the temporary house. 30 families including Mr. O's (about 100 people) live there.

 

○Preparing Curry
People started to prepare curry at 9 o'clock in the morning.
The residents had been looking forward to the event since they heard about it two weeks before.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Comment from a volunteer staff)
Together, we started preparation by chopping vegetables etc.
But it was embarrassing when our clumsiness raised a laugh among the residents.
Then we watched foreign volunteers spectacularly cook curry in a huge pot.
The residents were so interested in the unusual way to cook curry.
Unless I had practiced to cook SALAM (peace) curry in the previous evening,
I myself would have doubted if it was indeed curry that they were making.
However, the taste of the actual outcome was fantastic. I was so happy
to be there as a volunteer when I heard everybody saying they wanted the recipe.

 

○Party
As the space of the meeting room was limited, the residents took turns to have curry

in groups of 20. Some ate up as much as three portions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After-meal chat and clear-up

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next party will be held at a temporary house in Rikuzentakata-city, Iwate on the 15th October (Sat).

 

Reported by Ryu and Tahel, Staff of Rentai Tohoku With cooperation from Kesennuma Social Welfare Council, Rentai Tohoku held a Pakistani curry party at the temporary housing at Iwagasaki Park, Kesennuma, on the 24th September, 2011. Our aim was to provide an opportunity for residents of the temporary housing to get to know each other better.

 

● Preparing curry

This time, not only volunteer members but residents of the temporary housing cooperated to prepare curry in the meeting room from early morning. Apparently, many of the residents are from different regions and had nothing in common to talk about. Though they were rather reserved at first, the exoticism of Pakistani curry and Tahel's recipe served as a great ice breaker. Together, they seemed to enjoy the process from cooking vegetables to adding various spices.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

●　Dinner time

Congratulating successful curry together, many residents encouraged each other to rebuild the life for the future.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Curry was served to volunteers who came back from work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

　The news of SALAM Curry Party which was held by Rentai Tohoku and Kesennuma Social Welfare Council in the common room of the temporary housing at Shishiori Junior High School on August 27 (Sat), 2011 was run on the morning paper of Iwate Nichinichi Shimbun on August 29 (Mon).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

Title: Let's get to know each other--Rentai Tohoku Throws Curry Party in Kesennuma

An Ichinoseki-based public foundation "Rentai Tohoku" (Board Chairperson: Yasuhiko Sata), which provides supports to victims of Great Eastern Japan Earthquake, provided Pakistani curry to residents of the temporary house in Shishiori Junior High School in Kesennuma, Miyagi, on the 27^th.

Rentai Tohoku has two activity bases in Kawasaki and Senmaya in Ichinoseki and provides meal services at evacuation centres, various advisory services to fishermen and employment supports for local people.

Collaborating with Kesennuma Social Welfare Council, the foundation planed the curry party for residents of the temporary housing who tend to lose communication with other people, compared to when they were at evacuation centres. The party was aimed to provide them an opportunity to get to know each other.

10 volunteers including members of the foundation and some local volunteers visited the temporary housing and Tahel=Seyed (45), a Pakistani member of the foundation served 300 portions of chicken curry named "Salam Curry" together with 200 naans or Pakistani bread. "Salam" means peace in Arabic.

Many residents of the temporary housing turned up with rice at the common room and enjoyed curry served by Tahel. "Chicken was so tender and the taste was just right. Thank you very much for delicious curry", thanked Yoshio Onodera (75), chairman of the community group of the temporary housing.

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

(This article was posted on this site with permission from Iwate Nichinichi Shimbun.)

 

On the 31^st August, 2011, Mr. Sasaki, managing director of Kamogawa Car Repair Shop in Kamogawa, Chiba, kindly donated a used car to Rentai Tohoku.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mr. Noriyuki Sasaki, senior director of Kamogawa Car Repair Shop, delivered the car.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 They read the article that Rentai Tohoku is lending cars for free as a part of support activities in earthquake stricken areas on its website. Hoping to provide some help to Tohoku themselves, they decided to provide a Corolla van which had been used as a loaner car for many years.
Taking two and half hours, the Corolla was delivered by a carrier car from Kamogawa to Rentai Tohoku's office in Minatoku, Tokyo.

The car will then be delivered to Iwate this weekend and soon be useful where our activity bases locate.

Rentai Tohoku has been providing consultancy services as well as human support to fishermen who are involved in Urato Umi-no-ko Recovery Project (Urato Project hereinafter) for some time. The circumstances surrounding this project are as follows.

 

In mid April, a month after the earthquake, Yasuhiko Sata, Board Chairperson of Rentai Tohoku, saw on TV a Mr. Koizumi explaining in a halting way the establishment of "One Unit Sponsor" system. Knowing the dire situation they were in, Sata immediately tried to contact Mr. Koizumi.
On the 30th April, Rentai Tohoku held the first meeting in Tokyo for various people including disaster victims as well as well informed experts to exchange opinions. We invited Mr. Koizumi, who is a fisherman cultivating oysters and seaweeds at Katsura Island in Urato Islands, Miyagi prefecture, to the meeting. He brought Mr. Masumi Chiba, Chairperson of Urato Project, with him. Mr. Chiba explained that fishermen in Urato Islands had established a private organization, "Urato Project", aiming at raising financial backing in order to resume operation.
By then, it was several million yen that had been collected. However, through the enthusiastic call for support on the website as well as thanks to frequent media exposures, the fund raised reached 175 million yen by the 1st deadline for application on the 30th June, 2011. All involved in this project were truly moved by the warm support from all over Japan.

 

In order to resolve the tax and legal problems and facilitate the recovery of the local fishery, Rentai Tohoku provided tax, legal and management consultant services by experts. Backed up by these efforts, Urato Project has duly become incorporated as a juridical person.
By being granted as an incorporated juridical person, Urato Project has made a big step forward toward a self-support reconstruction.

As part of our physical support, Rentai Tohoku sent 4 volunteers each every weekend from mid May to the end of July, 50 volunteers in total, to Katsura Island to help beach clean-up, floater making for seaweeds farms, administrative work at Urato Project office and so on.

 

In a spirit of friendship and cooperation, Rentai Tohoku will continue to support the recovery of the earthquake-stricken area by collaborating with local people and valuing personal links built through our activities in many places in Tohoku.