On the 6th, one month after the great earthquake that struck southern Turkey, activities were held in various parts of Japan to mourn the victims and support the affected areas.
Elementary school children in Wakayama call for donations
More than 51,000 people have been confirmed dead so far in Turkey and neighboring Syria in the 7.8-magnitude quake and subsequent quakes that struck southern Turkey on the 6th of last month.
On the morning of the 6th at Wakayama University's Faculty of Education Elementary School in Wakayama City, about 30 fourth graders stood in front of the entrance of the school building and called out loudly for donations to the children who came to school.
The 4th grade class in which the activity was held had learned in social studies that Turkey and Kushimoto Town in Wakayama Prefecture have a friendly relationship, so they planned to raise money to help the affected areas. .
The fund-raising activities will be held at the school until the 10th of this month, and will also be held at Wakayama Station and Wakayamashi Station on the 14th for 30 minutes from 9:00 am, and the collected money will be donated to the Turkish Embassy in Japan through the prefecture. .
Mr. Naotaro Seki, who called for donations, said, "I was surprised that many people cooperated. I hope that the collected donations will help as many people as possible."
Wakayama Kushimoto town The flag is half mute at the town hall
In the town of Kushimoto, Wakayama Prefecture, which has long had a friendly relationship with Turkey, the town hall flags were flown at half-mast and officials observed a moment of silence to mourn the victims.
At 8:30 am on the 6th at Kushimoto Town Hall, the flags of the Japanese flag and the town flag were raised at half mast to commemorate the victims of the earthquake.
Also, at 9:30 am, the town officials stood up at their respective workplaces and offered silence in line with the in-house broadcast, and members of the town council and town officials also said silence at the meeting room of the town council.
133 years ago, when a Turkish warship was wrecked, Kushimoto-cho was able to save many crew members through rescue activities by local residents, and has built a friendly relationship with Turkey.
In addition to setting up a donation box on the 7th of last month, the day after the earthquake, the town opened an account at a financial institution that accepts donations, and received 21,550,519 yen by the 3rd of this month.
Katsumasa Tajima, mayor of Kushimoto Town, said, "I feel sad about the tragedy in Turkey and I can feel the desire to restore and rebuild as soon as possible. Although it is a small town, I will always stand by Turkey and cooperate with everyone. We will do our best to support each other," he said.
Lecture on the current situation in Kobe at an elementary school
In Kobe City, a person in charge of an NPO who entered the area immediately after the outbreak gave a lecture at an elementary school and called on children to "continue to be interested."
The speaker was Masamichi Yoshitsubaki, Secretary General of the CODE Overseas Disaster Relief Citizen Center, which was established in the wake of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake and has been working to support reconstruction in disaster-stricken areas overseas.
At Aina Elementary School in Kita Ward, Kobe City, the children gathered in the gymnasium, and Yoshitsubaki showed the photos he had taken and explained the situation at the site when he was providing support such as distributing supplies five days after the earthquake.
Ms. Yoshitsubaki recalled the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake when she saw people who had lost their homes in the cold, wearing only blankets in tents and sharing their grief around a bonfire.
She also said that she delivered letters to the children of Kobe and that she was pleased with the children of Turkey.
Ms. Yoshitsubaki plans to return to the site later this month, and she received a letter from the children saying, "Do your best, she won't give up."
A 5th grade girl said, ``I wrote a letter with the hope that she would be a little more positive.''
Ms. Yoshitsubaki said, "We don't know when an earthquake will strike in Japan, and I think it's important to help each other, so I hope that this lecture will lead to continued interest."
NPO of support activities in Syria "still lack of supplies"
The earthquake has also caused extensive damage in Syria, and according to an Osaka-based NPO that is conducting support activities there, there is still a shortage of supplies such as tents and medicines for people who have lost their homes. .
Osaka-based NPO "Piece of Syria" operates a kindergarten in northwestern Syria to support local people who have been in a civil war for over 10 years. delivered through NGOs.
In the affected areas, tents have been set up for people who lost their homes with this donation, and on the 4th, the NPO interviewed Syrian staff in the area about the situation.
According to Mr. Hassan Saeed, a local staff member, the cold weather was severe immediately after the earthquake, and aid from overseas did not arrive.
On the other hand, there is still a shortage of supplies such as tents and medicines, as well as heavy machinery for removing debris.
Furthermore, many people in the affected areas were evacuated due to the civil war, and there is a lack of funds to rebuild their damaged homes.
Footage from Idlib, northern Syria, taken by Hassan on Saturday, shows debris from collapsed buildings piled up across the city.
Mr. Hassan said, "I am grateful for the support from Japan. It's a difficult time, but I want to continue doing what I can for the future of the country."
Ms. Ayuka Kanazawa, who lives in Osaka and serves as a deputy director of an NPO, said, "Syria's disaster areas also need long-term support, just like the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. I want to keep the interest of people from waning."