**JP** Japan Update: Healing Emotional Wounds || World News

Saturday, June 18, 2011

JP Japan Update: Healing Emotional Wounds

Dear Respected Staff of International Medical Corps,

Many thanks for sending me this informative email, I am taking the liberty of forwarding it to all respected members of Pakistan Ngos Google Group and Join Pakistan Google Group for wider support and sensitization.

My extended moral and financial support would be with you all as always, as saving humanity is an imperative cause at this time.

Regards,

Noman Qazi

Provincial Monitoring and Reporting Coordinator,

GJTMAP, UNDP

Balochistan.

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: International Medical Corps <updates@internationalmedicalcorps.org>
To: Noman Qazi <nomanqazi1@yahoo.com>
Sent: Saturday, June 18, 2011 3:43 AM
Subject: Japan Update: Healing Emotional Wounds

Update from Japan: Healing Emotional Wounds

"I saw the wave of black water rushing towards me, and before I could act, the water completely surrounded my car, lifting it from the ground."

- Survivor of March tsunami and earthquake

Since March, in partnership with local Japanese organizations, we have:

Delivered hot meals to 21,084 displaced people in 5 evacuation centers.
Provided 17 computers and 8 satellite phones to improve coordination among Miyagi Prefecture offices, regional coordination centers, and evacuation centers.
Held 8 workshops for 301 parents and teachers on creating supportive environments for children.
Funded 6 workshops on psychological first aid for 93 medical professionals.
Held 9 workshops for 150 employees from local organizations on coping strategies.
Trained 78 staffers and 7 trainers from Tokyo English Life Line (TELL) on psychological first aid.

Three months ago, a 9.0 earthquake struck Japan, triggering a massive tsunami that leveled communities along the northern coast. Millions were affected, losing their homes, livelihoods, and loved ones in an instant.

Within 48 hours, International Medical Corps was on the ground, supporting emergency responders in some of the hardest-hit areas. Our team distributed everything from medications, to baby food, to hot meals, providing for survivors' most basic needs.

In our assessments of earthquake-affected areas, International Medical Corps found mental health to be a profound and much-needed gap in the humanitarian effort. Since March, we've focused on providing emotional and psychosocial support to those who need it most.

We're working with partner organization Tokyo English Life Line to enhance their psychological support services; this includes trainings in psychological first aid for TELL phone counselors, providing computer equipment and technical support, and working to create child-friendly play areas in evacuation centers.

We are committed to helping communities heal and rebuild after this tragedy. To read more about our work in Japan, click here.

In Our Eyes: Firsthand Accounts from the Tsunami and Earthquake

"A heartbreaking scream shook me back to reality. A small child was floating in the water close to the boat and we managed to rescue her. I held her close, in the freezing cold."

"Before all this happened we were so used to everything working that I would never have imagined to have to do all these things we spent day and night on. But there are many people in need, and of course the needs of disabled people are not all as visible as others."

"When the water poured in from the ocean, everything changed."

Three emergency hotline employees from our partner organization, TELL, share stories from survivors. To read their harrowing eyewitness accounts, click here.