Devastating earthquakes followed by strong aftershocks have forced more than 90,000 people to seek refuge in temporary shelters. A-PAD Japan provided underwear and socks for evacuees at a gymnasium in Mashiki, which is among the areas hardest hit by the quakes. Staff of the joint A-PAD/Peace Winds Japan emergency relief team distributed 7,000 underwear and 1,000 pairs of socks contributed by Gunze, a leading Japanese undergarment manufacturer. Nissin Logistics, a trucking firm, delivered the clothing to the shelter-bound evacuees.

A young woman who has been living out of her car since the first big quake said, “This is the first time in a week for me to change into clean underwear. We haven’t been able to wash our clothes because even water for drinking has been scarce. I have been looking forward to being able to provide clean underwear for my children so I really appreciate the donation.” A 72 year old woman who had not been able to bathe for six days said that the gift was “enough to bring tears to my eyes,” adding that she had always liked Gunze products because “they have a soft touch.”

Staff have continued to assess the needs of evacuees. On April 17^th, the joint team set up an inflatable shelter on a grassy area adjacent to the Mashiki Athletic Center. The light materials of the inflatable shelters are particularly useful to accommodate children, the elderly and people with pets. Relying on our experience in the distribution of goods after past disasters, and thanks to help from corporations, local municipalities and NPOs we are doing our best to deliver goods and services to the evacuees.

Contributions to A-PAD can be made through the Japanese Government’s “furusato nozei” (hometown tax benefit) program for Japanese, credit card, or bank transfer.

1. Hometown tax benefit only in Japanese language:  http://www.furusato-tax.jp/gcf/81

2. Credit card: https://bokinchan2.com/civicforce/donation/bokin/

3. Bank transfer: We are grateful to everyone making a donation by bank transfer.

We would appreciate it if you could cover the fees of both sender and receiver. Thank you very much for your support.

(Bank account information)

Name: Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corperation

Branch name and Number:Aoyama Branch, 258

Account number: 7027403 (JPY account)

Account name: Civic Force

Swift code: SMBCJPJT

Bank phone humber: +81-3-3404-2112