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| AAR JAPAN provides emergency assistance to refugees and victims when a disaster or a dispute takes place. AAR JAPAN has been conducting emergency assistance activities in many countries and territories, including those for the Haiti earthquake that occurred on January 12, 2010; the Philippines typhoon on September 27, 2009; the big earthquake that occurred in Sumatra, Indonesia on September 30, 2009; the powerful cyclone in Myanmar (Burma) in May, 2008; the big earthquake in 2005 in Pakistan in which approximately 2.5 million became victims; and more than 4.5 million refugees in Sudan. Wehave also been continuing our assistance in reconstructing infrastructure and restoring the daily lives of the local people after the emergency assistance.
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| Emergency Assistance for Haiti Earthquake (January 2010 – ) |
A massive 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on January12, 2010. Port au Prince, the capital, suffered devastating damages, and it is said that 230,000 people died and victims amounted to 3 million in a nation whose population is some 10 million. AAR JAPAN dispatched its emergency assistance team consisting of four staff members (led by Kiyoto Onishi, Deputy Secretary General). The team procured water, food and basic daily goods in the Dominican Republic, and supplied them to victims in Port au Prince.
AAR JAPAN will continue to assist primarily to victims who cannot easily receiving the assistance they need. |
 The AAR JAPAN team distributed daily goods to Haiti victims in Port au Prince. We supplied food and basic daily goods to the victims who lost food and homes. |
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| Emergency Assistance for Off Sumatra Earthquake in Indonesia (September 2009 - ) |
 On September 30, 2009, Indonesia was hit by an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.6 which occurred off Sumatra. About 4.3 million people suffered from it, and about 100,000 houses where destroyed. AAR JAPAN dispatched two staff members to the island on October 4 and began its urgent relief activities in Padang, West Sumatra, which is located near the center of the earthquake and therefore was damaged most extensively. On October 7, working together with ten schools where children with disabilities living in Padang City, AAR JAPAN delivered food and daily goods to 565 households (approximately 2,800 people). These are the basic necessities needed to survive for the victims whose houses where damaged and their communities infrastructure destroyed. |
| A destroyed house after the Sumatra earthquake in Padang. Damage was great in this area because the city is located near the center of the earthquake. |
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| Emergency Assistance for Philippines Typhoon (September 2009 – ) |
 The Philippines was struck by Typhoon No. 16 on September 26, 2009. The typhoon brought a record heavy rain and flood damage. As of October 8, the number of the dead reached 380, and victims amounted to 4.3 millions. AAR JAPAN dispatched two staff members to the country on October 2. On October 9, we delivered food such as sugar and daily goods to 375 households consisting of employees (70% are the persons with disabilities) of Tahanang Walang Hagdanan, Inc. (TWHI), an association for the disabled in Cainta, Rizal province, which suffered extensive damage from the typhoon. We also provided 50 mattresses to those with severe disabilities. |
| AAR JAPAN distributed daily goods at the facility for supporting the disabled, damaged extensively in Cainta, Rizal province. We presented a package of goods to each person. (Left: Juri HIROYA, a staff member of AAR JAPAN) |
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| Emergency Assistance for Cyclone in Myanmar (May 2008) |
The powerful cyclone hit Myanmar (Burma) on May 2 and 3, 2008, which caused about 320,000 dead/missing and 2.4 million victims (estimated by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs on May 11). This was called the worst cyclone after the 20th century.
Immediately after the cyclone, AAR JAPAN sent staff members to the country. For about four months until August 29, we had distributed food, drinks and relief supplies such as plastic sheets to 19,331 households (approx. 90,000 people), including those who are disabled and poor, as well as those in the areas that are inconveniently situated and therefore have trouble receiving aid.
Since September 2008, AAR JAPAN has been implementing additional activities in villages affected by the cyclone, such as health and medical care, nutritional improvement and assistance to those with disabilities. |
A house completely destroyed by the cyclone in Hlaing Thar Yar, Yangon.
Hlaing Thar Yar, western Yangon, is the area where poor people live and which was extensively damaged by the cyclone. |
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| Emergency Assistance for Pakistan Earthquake (October 2005) |
A big earthquake occurred in northern Pakistan on October 8, 2005, and caused nearly 4 million deaths and about 2.5 million victims. This is the world’s largest earthquake damage following the Sumatra earthquake in 2004.
AAR JAPAN’s staff members entered the country two days after the earthquake occurrence. Working together with local organizations, they distributed urgent relief goods and assisted the restoration of water supply systems in the stricken communities. Human and physical damages were serious, and therefore, AAR JAPAN has been continuing its support and continues to carry on discussion with local organizations. In addition to the support AAR JAPAN has been giving from the beginning, AAR JAPAN has implemented literacy education for victims. |
| An AAR JAPAN staff member restoring a water supply facility in Pore village, northern Pakistan. The restored water supply system has been a valuable source of water for the local people immediately after the earthquake. (Kiyoto Onishi, Deputy Secretary General of AAR JAPAN, at the front.) |
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| Emergency Assistance to Domestic Refugees in Pakistan (April 2009) |
In Pakistan where conflict within the country has worsened since the end of April 2009, the people have escaped from combat areas and released to the south. A large-scale combat came to end in the middle of July 2009, and the people began returning home. However, local fights continue even now, and many people still live in refugee camps, rented houses and with relatives.
Learning about this situation, AAR JAPAN decided to assist domestic refugees and those coming back home. We have tentatively stationed a small clinic and provide free medical service until the clinic that was damaged by the fighting is recovered in Buner, a northwest border province. Medical care will be served by a medical team of National Commission for Human Development (NCHD), our local cooperation association.
On September 16, 2009, the small clinic’s opening ceremony was held, and commenced its services on September 17. We plan to provide this assistance for about two months, until November 15, when the original clinic will be recovered. |
| Children of Pakistan who escaped from combat and became domestic refugees.
Although a large-scale fight came to end, there still are many families whose houses were destroyed and are not able to return home. |
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Emergency
Assistance
The civil war in Sudan, which had run for more than 20 years since 1983, finally has come to an end. Approximately 2 million people died, primarily in southern Sudan, due to fighting, diseases and hunger. More than 4.5 million people became domestic or international refugees and escaped to northern Sudan or adjacent countries. 