JETAA USA raised approximately $88,940 for the JETAA USA Relief Fund. Of this, approximately $3,500 were administrative or management fees (international wire transfer fees, tax consultations for the host chapter-JETAANY, etc.).
JETAA USA chose to focus a majority of their assistance on Rikuzentaka, where one of our fellow JETs, Monty Dickson lived and worked. JETAA USA representatives visited the town in the fall of 2011 as part of a larger JETAA International delegation. We worked with AJET, volunteerAKITA and CLAIR to ensure the success of that volunteer work trip.
JETAA USA also recognizes the dedication the Anderson family has shown for helping the community of Ishinomaki recover. Taylor Anderson, another US JET who was lost in this tragedy, called Ishinomaki her home in Japan. JETAA USA and the Anderson family continue to collaborate in our parallel goal of helping Japan to recover.
Hope for Tomorrow
$26,700
The costs of university entrance exams are a heavy burden for Japanese families and can be especially formidable for families affected by the disaster. With JETAA USA funding, Hope for Tomorrow has been able to establish a program in Rikuzentakata to subsidize exam-related expenses enabling graduating seniors from Takata High School in to apply to university. It has also helped support special English tutoring for some students. To read the donor report, click HERE.
E-Pa+Ch (Empowerment through Participation and Challenge)
$25,000 (2011) + $22,400 (2014)
Due to the massive damage that Rikuzentaka has sustained, students from that community have been through traumatic experiences and lost considerable class time. With JETAA USA funding, E-Pa+Ch (also called “Kodomo no Empowerment”) launched a new initiative through which university students provide extracurricular tutoring for middle school students while also using these sessions to lend a sympathetic ear to students who may feel intimidated discussing their concerns and fears with older adults. A Kahoku Shimpo article reported that the number of middle school students taking English Language proficiency exams in the town tripled in 2011 thanks to this project, called Manabi-no-heya. To read the donor report, click HERE.
Links: Kodomo no Empowerment Facebook page, YouTube Video of Manabi-no-heya
Taylor Anderson Memorial Fund
$5,000
Taylor Anderson was a JET participant from the US. In a show of solidarity, JETAA USA made this contribution to the The Taylor Anderson Fund. The Taylor Anderson Memorial Fund supports a range of innovative programs including exchange programs for local students and “reading corners” at elementary schools in Ishinomaki, where Taylor taught and lived.
Live Your Dream: The Taylor Anderson Story
$1,750
The JETAA USA fund contribution comes from JETAANY’s two fundraising events to help raise money to support this documentary film about Taylor Anderson by director Regge Life. The film premiered Nov. 11, 2012 in Richmond, Virginia near Taylor’s hometown and there have been 10 screenings in Japan and across the US since March 11, 2013, the two year anniversary of the Tohoku earthquake/tsunami.
volunteerAKITA
$4,270
A JET-run organization, volunteerAKITA has been mobilizing JET participants to provide disaster aid since mid-March 2011. JETAA USA funding helped them sustain their disaster-related activities, including volunteering in Rikuzentakata. To read the donor report, click HERE.
