AAR Japan’s emergency response team is continuing relief activities in Mabicho, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, which suffered extensive damage. On July 23rd, AAR Japan visited “Nozomi Kids Station”, which provides after-school day care services for children with disabilities. 11 children with disabilities, ranging from elementary to high school age, had been using their services, but the recent flood had completely destroyed the facility. Their five shuttle cars were also submerged in the flood waters. The manager, Ms. Tomoko KAWAKAMI, gave up on resuming services in the same location and decided to relocate to the neighboring Soja City. However, the new 130 square meter space only had an air conditioning unit made for a 13 square meter space..

Since 2011, the Association for Aid and Relief, Japan (AAR) has built toilets and hand-washing facilities in elementary schools in the north-western Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. In February 2018, the schoolchildren had their very first experience of decorating these facilities with tiles on which they had drawn pictures. Shajeha Khan from our Haripur Office in Pakistan reports on the project.
“Come and look! I drew a wonderful picture using lots of colors!” On February 8, 2018, the children of Hattar Elementary School located in the Haripur District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province gathered excitedly in the schoolyard. Using 12 different colored crayons, 25 students ranging from third to fifth grade drew pictures on the tiles used for decorating the walls of their toilets and hand-washing facilities.