Japan Disaster: Relief & Recovery

Peace Winds not only rescues people in times of disaster, but cats and dogs too.

Each year, tens of thousands of abandoned pets are euthanized in Japan. Sadly, it's common for people to keep cats and dogs without considering the cost or responsibility, and many end up abandoned after their owners are unable to take care of them. Through our "Peace Wanko" project--Japanese for "Peace Doggy"--we are working to halt this practice by rescuing abandoned pets, retraining them, and finding them new homes or jobs as search-and-rescue dogs. Since 2016, we have built a large shelter in Hiroshima and taken in more than 6,000 dogs, including the sick and injured. We have more than 100 dedicated staff members working in eight locations around Japan to rescue these animals.

Some of the pets Peace Winds rehabilitates get adopted into new loving homes while others are retrained and stay with our organization to help save people in times of natural disaster around the country. There's still a long way to go to save the tens of thousands of other dogs and cats that continue to be euthanized annually across Japan, but with your help, we plan to open more adoption centers and hire more training staff. We remain committed to putting a stop to the cruel and senseless killing of countless innocent animals so they can go on to find good homes and help people in need.

The 18 month mark has passed from the massive landslides, and a little less than half of the residents in temporary housing are still there, not ready yet to move back to their "home" in Kure-city, south-western part of Hiroshima prefecture.

Most of the ex-residents who "graduated" from temporary housings are relatively young families, who could afford to rebuild or settle in new places earlier. The residents remaining are mostly elder, living by themselves or with their partners. They are waiting for public housing to be constructed and provided by Kure-city, which is expected to be this spring.

Partnering with a local NGO, Peace Winds has provided wind shields for entrances and wooden-prefabricated shelves which can be assembled as needed to make life comfortable for those remaining in temporary housing.

Winter is the season for orange in Japan. Mud-washed orange fields turned from green to yellow. "One more winter," they say. After the winter when spring has come, their new houses will be ready and they will be able to resettle finally.

Our partners in Mabi including Soul (Non Profit Organization called "Gorilla") visited Saga for hot meal distribution. Each night remaining in the evacuation shelter brings shared anxieties, despair, but hope for the future.The Mabi team provided dinners "as usual", including something warm and as well as several dishes.One of the participants from Mabi told us that, " this has been a great opportunity for me. I feel I could tell them that we are now OK after one year of disaster. Which should be a hope for them." Finally when Mabi team was leaving Saga, a old lady came to them saying thank you with tears.

Thanks you for your generous support of this important relief work!