Although JETAA USA encourages you to donate to the JETAA USA Earthquake Relief Fund, we want to assist folks to donate to any organization that helps the people of Japan cope with and overcome this huge disaster. All JETAA USA Chapters worked together to come up with the following list of organizations.
This list is provided as a resource to interested parties. The listing of organizations does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by JETAA USA.
- Akai Hane (Red Feather Community Chest)- Akai Hane, or the Red Feather Community Chest of Japan, is a non-governmental organization that focuses on welfare work and a member of United Way Worldwide. Central Community Chest of Japan and each Local Community Chests are raising fund to support victims, and to support volunteer groups which are responding to the disaster.
- AmeriCares– AmeriCares is in direct contact with local officials, evacuation shelters and hospitals treating the injured and caring for evacuees. Based on early assessments and the anticipated need for long-term humanitarian aid, they’ve set up an office in Tokyo to coordinate relief efforts. AmeriCares participated in the first inter-agency organizational meeting led by MOFA and included representatives of the Japanese Cabinet, UN agencies, and Japanese NGOs.
- Association for Aid and Relief in Japan (AAR)- AAR JAPAN mainly focus on the following activities: emergency assistance, assistance to persons with disabilities, and mine action. In response to the disaster in Japan, their Emergency Relief Team continues to visit welfare facilities for the aged and people with disabilities in the affected area to deliver food and fuel.
- Direct Donations to Prefectures– Fukushima, Iwate and Miyagi prefectures have established direct donation accounts. There are separate accounts for donating to relief or reconstruction.
- Habitat for Humanity– Habitat for Humanity International currently has an assessment team in Japan, and together with Habitat for Humanity Japan, are liaising with government authorities and other organizations on how to best support the relief effort. In the short-term, Habitat for Humanity expects its response to include mobilizing volunteers in Japan to work with other organizations in the relief operation, like beginning the clean-up process. A longer-term plan will then be plotted, when the full extent of the damage is known and the best course of action identified. Habitat for Humanity expects that its response to the earthquake and tsunami could last for up to two years.
- Japan Platform– Japan Platform (JPF) is an international emergency humanitarian aid organization which offers more effective and prompter emergency aid, in response to the world situation, focusing the issues of refugees and natural disaster. JPF conducts such aid with a tripartite cooperation system where NGOs, business community, and government of Japan work in close cooperation, based on equal partnership, making the most of the respective sectors’ characteristics and resources.
- Japan Red Cross– The Japanese Red Cross Society (JRCS) is scaling up its response to meet the needs of the affected population as well as assessing the situation at both national headquarters and branch level in the affected prefectures, to plan for the next phases of the humanitarian operation. Although many have good intentions of sending a group of volunteers from JETAA up to Japan to help, untrained or inexperienced volunteers may end up only getting in the way of the trained workers. Thus, put the money towards an organization that can efficiently and quickly utilize the funds.
- JEN– Japanese Emergency NGOs was founded as a coalition of relief workers with experience in overseas disasters. More than a decade ago, JEN became an independent NGO implementing disaster relief work. JEN is coordinating with local government and at the grassroots level to deliver blankets and food in the short term, and it has two teams in the affected areas assessing its long-term response.
- Mercy Corps– Mercy Corps is working to help survivors of Japan’s earthquake and tsunami in cooperation with our longstanding partner, Peace Winds. Peace Winds continues to deliver emergency supplies — including large shelters, tents, blankets, instant rice and fresh produce — to families evacuated from homes in the tsunami-devastated city of Kesennuma. Mercy Corps has deployed our emergency team leader to help Peace Winds coordinate its lifesaving response. Your donation will be used to meet immediate and longer-term needs of families affected by this disaster.
- Nippon Foundation– The Nippon Foundation has extensive experience working with local partners to provide support after disasters such as the Great Hanshin Earthquake of 1995, and more recently the Mid Niigata Earthquake and Noto Peninsula Earthquake. The Nippon Foundation/CANPAN Northeastern Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund aims to provide both immediate aid as well as medium to long-term support to ensure a full recovery of the affected areas, in an accountable and timely manner.
- OXFAM Japan– Oxfam Japan will be working with two partners in Japan on providing support to those on the margins of society who might otherwise have difficulty accessing emergency relief. One group is assisting mothers and babies and the other is providing information to non-Japanese speakers living in Japan.
- Peace Winds Japan– Peace Winds Japan is one of the largest Japanese organizations providing humanitarian relief such as food, clothing, fuel and medical supplies to the affected areas. It is also currently listed on Global Giving’s website as one of 7 ongoing projects in Japan in need of assistance.
- Riverside Sendai Relief Fund– Riverside and Sendai have been friends since 1951 and sister cities since 1957 in what is one of the oldest continuous sister city relationships in the United States.
- Japan Disaster Relief Fund- Boston– Established in collaboration by The Japan Society of Boston, The Boston Foundation, and the Fish Family Foundation. 100% of all contributions to go directly to Japanese disaster victims and to the organizations working on the ground in Tohoku to help the people who need it most. Contributions to this fund are for immediate relief – not for long-term infrastructure recovery.
- UNICEF Japan– Japan Committee for UNICEF has been making a concerted effort to help affected children and their families by mobilizing its well-established network of partners, including the private sector, schools, religious groups and volunteers. The Committee is mobilizing assistance in the areas of maternal and child health, education and psychosocial support.
- US Japan Council– The U.S.-Japan Council Earthquake Relief Fund was established to collect donations that directly support immediate relief and the long-term rebuilding in Japan. 100% of all donations will go to directly to NGOs/NPOs in Japan. On March 22, USJC announced that the first disbursement will go to two Japanese NGO platforms: The Japan Platform(JPF) and the Center for Public Resource Development (CPRD).
- Socks for Japan– Here’s a way you can help Japan, directly and meaningfully. There are many places to donate money, and that’s a wonderful thing to do, but direct aid is cherished by survivors because it shows them that you personally care. Send new socks with a personal care letter with each pair.
- Quakebook– The contributions in 2:46 Quakebook have come from a wide variety of sources, and include photographs, personal accounts, drawings; each telling their own tale. All revenues from sales of the book go directly to Red Cross, Japan. The tale of the evolution of Quakebook can be found under the hashtag #quakebook on Twitter.
