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Two months have passed since the Kumamoto earthquake. Civic Force has continued its support activities.

In Kumamoto City, in particular, more than 9,300 homes were damaged. However, relief support has been concentrated in areas such as Uki City and Hikawa Town, and has not reached Kumamoto City. As part of the NPO Partner Projects, Civic Force started a collaborative project with Kumasuke-gumi, a student volunteer group based in Kumamoto City that has been providing support to home-bound evacuees since September.

Photo credit: Kumasuke-gumi

Kumasuke-gumi was founded in June 2007 by students from the School of Engineering at Kumamoto University with the aim of contributing to communities and raising disaster preparedness awareness. The group currently has 80 student members. In the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake, the group provided support to disaster victims as they moved from evacuation centers to temporary housing and public housing, playing a role in community building. During non-emergency times, the group participates in disaster preparedness drills, conducts disaster preparedness education, and organizes walking tours to improve the disaster resiliency of the entire community. They also move quickly to respond to disasters outside of the prefecture.

In the wake of the recent Kumamoto earthquake, 20 students participated in furniture removal and cleaning activities in Mashiki Town. They have also been working with the Kumamoto City Social Welfare Council's disaster volunteer center, conducting surveys of damaged houses, cleaning, and supporting the center's operations. They have expanded their activities beyond the Kumamoto City Disaster Volunteer Center to include the Jonan Community Development Center, utilizing their unique student mobility and organizational skills to dedicate themselves to supporting the reconstruction of the lives of disaster victims.

Civic Force will continue to support the operation of the Kumamoto City Disaster Volunteer Center and the Jonan Community Development Center, conduct surveys to understand the needs of disaster victims who remain at home, and plan to organize and operate volunteer bus tours with student volunteers from outside the prefecture. Through NPO Partner Projects,Civic Force will support Kumasuke-gumi, enabling them to continue their support activities and cover expenses such as travel expenses, the cost of purchasing cleaning equipment necessary for volunteer work, and a portion of the participants' lunch expenses.

Leveraging the nearly 20-year-old network of Kumasuke-gumi, Civic Force will send volunteers to disaster areas in Kumamoto City and continue our activities to ensure that appropriate support reaches those who tend to fall through the cracks.

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Japan Post

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