By Jessica Rowe
Leaders of the student army who helped clean up Christchurch following the earthquake have set up a Japanese version of their volunteer group.
They travelled to Japan working alongside students there keen to assist following the deadly tsunami.
They started out by salvaging treasured Japanese artifacts from a destroyed museum, the student army's first step towards understanding volunteering in the Japanese community.
“The damage is horrific. Everywhere you look it is heartbreaking to see these homes, these lives completely destroyed but it is also it's really, really warming to know that you are doing something,” says volunteer Sam Johnson.
The Christchurch student army was flown in with the help of Air New Zealand to share what they had learnt from leading a 9000-strong team of young volunteers in the clean up of Christchurch.
They have been working alongside Japanese students in one of the worst affected areas of Ishinomaki - where a wall of water up to 14 metres high wiped out an entire village.
Toshihiko Fujita's house lies in ruins.
He was upstairs and survived when the tsunami hit, downstairs his mother and auntie were swept away.
And while he is struggling to deal with losing his family, the community is now facing the enormous task of cleaning up their neighbourhood - with the help of New Zealand.
Nearly 30,000 homes in Ishinomaki have been destroyed by the tsunami and the clean up is expected to take up to two years, but Japanese students hope by setting up their own army they will be able to fast track the recovery process.
The Japanese government sent its Urban Rescue Team to help after the Christchurch quake, and now the students are returning the favour - helping set up a similar student army in Japan.
“There are many students back in Tokyo and other areas who want to help, but they don't know where to go or how, and there is so much help needed - so if we have some centre connecting each other then that would work,” says Wakana Fujita, the Japanese student volunteer army founder.
Christchurch student army volunteer Jason Pemberton says it’s the Japanese army is doing a great service to non-priority towns.
“It is a really big milestone and it should hopefully do some really good things for the Japanese communities, particularly the areas that are not getting much assistance at the moment,” he says.
The student army is also hoping to establish a programme for Kiwis to visit and volunteer and help the Japanese out.
3 News
source: newshub archive
