Friends of Soma
Katherine Geeraert contacted us recently from Japan to let us know about a project she has created to help out her students in Soma, who have been left homeless and without basic resources since the 'quake/tsunami. Katherine says this about the project:
My name is Katherine Geeraert, and I have started a Tsunami relief fund for students at the school where I teach in Japan. I am a teacher at Soma Higashi High School in Soma, Japan. I was at the school when the Earthquake and Tsunami hit the North East Coast of Japan.The effects of the 9.0 magnitude earthquake have been extreme throughout North Eastern Japan. In Soma, the Earthquake caused a 7.5 meter tsunami that destroyed much of the Soma Bay area and the surrounding neighbourhoods. Some of my students lived in these neighbourhoods. Many other students at Soma Higashi commute to school in Soma from other communities that lie along the coast, some in closer proximation to the Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. As a result of these disasters, many students have either lost their homes and belongings, or are unable to return to their homes because of the 30 km. evacuation zone. Many of their parents have lost their jobs as a result of the either the extreme, detrimental effects of the Tsunami, or because their jobs are also within that 30 km radius. These students need simple necessities to return to school and to begin rebuilding their lives with their families. Friends of Soma gives 100% of it's donations directly to these families through Soma Higashi High School. Any amount of support can make a huge difference.