{"id":43056,"date":"2016-07-07T18:03:39","date_gmt":"2016-07-07T09:03:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/?p=43056"},"modified":"2016-07-14T18:16:01","modified_gmt":"2016-07-14T09:16:01","slug":"wavoc-kumamoto-earthquake-volunteer-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/news\/43056","title":{"rendered":"WAVOC Kumamoto Earthquake volunteer report"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A series of massive earthquakes hit the Kyushu area in April 2016. Waseda University&#8217;s<a href=\"http:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/inst\/wavoc\/en\/\"> Hirayama Ikuo Volunteer Center (WAVOC)<\/a> has been sending student volunteers to Kumamoto City and Mashiki Town, where the Kyushu Earthquake struck the hardest.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t\t\t#gallery-2 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-2 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 33%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-2 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-2 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div id='gallery-2' class='gallery galleryid-43056 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-thumbnail'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/news\/43056\/attachment\/c6bd02005c86386a29c17964d10c83b0-360x270'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"270\" src=\"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/assets\/uploads\/2016\/07\/c6bd02005c86386a29c17964d10c83b0-360x270.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/news\/43056\/attachment\/index7-610x407'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"270\" src=\"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/assets\/uploads\/2016\/07\/index7-610x407-360x270.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/news\/43056\/attachment\/16051106-610x457'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"270\" src=\"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/assets\/uploads\/2016\/07\/16051106-610x457-360x270.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/assets\/uploads\/2016\/07\/16051106-610x457-360x270.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/assets\/uploads\/2016\/07\/16051106-610x457.jpg 610w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 360px) 100vw, 360px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<h4>Volunteer Activities<\/h4>\n<p>Cleaning up rubble and debris, matching volunteers with assigned tasks, supporting volunteer program administration and management, etc.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t\t\t#gallery-4 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-4 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 33%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-4 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-4 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div id='gallery-4' class='gallery galleryid-43056 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-thumbnail'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/news\/43056\/attachment\/img_2247-2'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"270\" src=\"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/assets\/uploads\/2016\/07\/IMG_2247-1-360x270.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/assets\/uploads\/2016\/07\/IMG_2247-1-360x270.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/assets\/uploads\/2016\/07\/IMG_2247-1.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 360px) 100vw, 360px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/news\/43056\/attachment\/img_20160701_164631-360x270-2'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"270\" src=\"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/assets\/uploads\/2016\/07\/IMG_20160701_164631-360x270-2.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/news\/43056\/attachment\/p1040045-610x457-2'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"270\" src=\"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/assets\/uploads\/2016\/07\/P1040045-610x457-1-360x270.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/assets\/uploads\/2016\/07\/P1040045-610x457-1-360x270.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/assets\/uploads\/2016\/07\/P1040045-610x457-1.jpg 610w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 360px) 100vw, 360px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<h4>Participant comments<\/h4>\n<p>\u30fbI matched volunteers with tasks, but even with passion and motivation, I realized that it all becomes meaningless without an organized plan. I felt the volunteer activities could have been carried out more effectively if we had researched beforehand the number of volunteers desired and the needs of the community.<br \/>\n\u30fbEven when you have noble thoughts of volunteering, you can only do so much. It surely takes time to rebuild communities despite large numbers of people cooperating together. However, I recognized the preciousness of playing a role in supporting a small part of someone&#8217;s daily life to feel a sense of comfort.<br \/>\n\u30fbThrough this volunteer activity, I understood there are different ways to give a lending hand. Some people volunteer in affected areas while others manage and administer volunteer programs. Most people imagine the former when it comes to disaster relief, but the latter volunteers are also necessary.<br \/>\n\u30fbSeeing the disaster-struck areas with my own eyes changed everything.<br \/>\n\u30fbI experienced firsthand the difficulties and rewards of connecting disaster victims with volunteers.<br \/>\n\u30fbAlthough the management side of disaster relief may not actually go to a site of a disaster, but because there is a strong, organizational backbone, we are able to critically solve problems and swiftly send volunteers.<br \/>\n\u30fbFeelings and emotions are important, but in order to truly serve the people in need, I felt it was important to take a step back and think first before taking any action.<br \/>\n\u30fbDon&#8217;t be satisfied with what you see on TV or the internet. You should visit the earthquake-hit area. I was able to see the realities of Kumamoto after participating in this activity.<br \/>\n\u30fbI found out that volunteering in disaster relief does not only mean removing rubble.<br \/>\n\u30fbAfter listening to stories of program administrators and volunteers, I realized the difficulties of sharing information.<br \/>\n\u30fbThe damage was much bigger than what I saw on TV. Another lesson learned was that although the efforts of individuals may be invisible, collaborative cooperation becomes very powerful.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t\t\t#gallery-6 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-6 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 50%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-6 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-6 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div id='gallery-6' class='gallery galleryid-43056 gallery-columns-2 gallery-size-thumbnail'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/news\/43056\/attachment\/1605115-610x457'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"270\" src=\"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/assets\/uploads\/2016\/07\/1605115-610x457-360x270.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/assets\/uploads\/2016\/07\/1605115-610x457-360x270.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/assets\/uploads\/2016\/07\/1605115-610x457.jpg 610w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 360px) 100vw, 360px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/news\/43056\/attachment\/16051109-610x487'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"270\" src=\"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/assets\/uploads\/2016\/07\/16051109-610x487-360x270.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>At WAVOC, we hold pre-orientation and feedback sessions to make sure that volunteering becomes a valuable learning experience for participating students. Learn more about WAVOC&#8217;s<a href=\"http:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/inst\/wavoc\/en\/project\/\"> volunteer projects<\/a><\/p>\n<h5>Related Links<\/h5>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/en-news\/43259\">https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/en-news\/43259<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A series of massive earthquakes hit the Kyushu area in April 2016. Waseda University&#8217;s Hirayama Ikuo Vol [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":43068,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[81,117],"tags":[177,175,342],"class_list":["post-43056","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-topic","tag-outreach-en","tag-students-en","tag-voice-en"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43056","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43056"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43056\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":43074,"href":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43056\/revisions\/43074"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43068"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43056"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43056"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43056"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}