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2026.09.07 News Latest News Emergency

【Kumamoto Earthquake 2026】 Safe Space for Women and Children - NPO Partner Projects

While power and water supply are finally being restored, support is needed for children and families with young children who are continuing to shelter in their homes rather than going to evacuation centers.

Through NPO Partner Projects, Civic Force began a joint project with the Women's Forum Kumamoto in September, aiming to deliver support to disaster victims who remain at their own home.

Photo credit: Women's Forum Kumamoto

The Women's Forum Kumamoto is based in Mashiki Town and works to create safe and secure spaces for women and children, support single-parent families, and train female leaders. In the field of disaster preparedness, its parent company, Muse Planning, held a training course for female disaster preparedness leaders from 2022 to 2024. In the wake of the recent Kumamoto earthquake, members of the Kumamoto Women's Disaster Preparedness Leader Network Rin have been distributing relief supplies to those affected by the disaster who are staying at home.

In this NPO Partner Project, Rin will take the lead in planning to hold monthly salons in the disaster-stricken cities of Yatsushiro and Uto, where women and families with children can gather. The salons will include tea parties, play areas for children, food distribution, relief supplies, and disaster preparedness workshops. The salons will also host workshops on mental and physical care, and will address issues related to preventing sexual assault during disasters and mental health care.

Furthermore, the Women's Forum Kumamoto is also working to create a base for volunteers who come to provide support from both within and outside the region. Utilizing the base in Mashiki Town, "Mashiki Kogami-sha," it will act as a bridge, connecting relief supplies, volunteers, and information arriving from all over the country, ensuring that support reaches those in need effectively and efficiently.

In addition, the team will update the "Self-Maintenance Sheet" created during the Kumamoto earthquake 10 years ago to support aid workers and distribute it to those working in disaster-stricken areas. Among the aid workers who are striving for those affected by the disaster, there are cases where the aid workers themselves are also victims of the disaster but continue to provide support, and many of them need rest and self-maintenance. Based on the lessons learned 10 years ago, the aim is to prevent burnout among those who are supporting the recovery efforts.

What are Civic Force's NPO Partner Projects?

The NPO Partner Projects are a unique Civic Force program that was created in the wake of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, and has so far partnered with over 100 organizations throughout Japan. It has carried out a wide range of activities, including dispatching experts and volunteers to help people rebuild their lives, providing support to families, people with disabilities, and the elderly who are often overlooked during disasters, reconstruction and community development aimed at revitalizing local areas, and environmental conservation activities,