Mercy Corps: Because of You a Child is Comforted in Japan

Another amazing e-mail update that I received from Mercy Corps a few days back, which needs to be shared.

I want to thank you for supporting Mercy Corps through your fundraising efforts while we respond to the recent earthquake and disaster in Japan.

My colleague Joy Portella, Communications Director, who was in Japan reports:

I’ve just returned from the area and can tell you firsthand what a difference your gift is making to the survivors.

During my time in Japan I saw tremendous resilience. But I also saw overwhelming sadness and need. One image still haunts me. Amid a field of rubble as far as the eye could see, I spotted an older man sitting on a log in front of a roaring fire. He was blankly staring into the distance, not moving.

Fuminori Onodera, 49, sits among ruins in Shizugawa. Photo: Joy Portella/Mercy Corps

I introduced myself. He pointed sadly to a pile of debris and explained that’s where his house used to be. Now his family is staying with a neighbor. His children are having nightmares and he doesn’t know how to ease their fear.

As I listened to this survivor, I was so grateful that Mercy Corps is there to help him and his family with programs like Comfort for Kids.

Japan’s earthquake and tsunami didn’t just topple buildings they shook lives. Japan’s children are among those most affected by displacement and disaster.

Today, you can send a caring message to those children, letting them know you support them in their time of need. It only takes a few minutes to write a few words that will mean the world to them.

Mercy Corps is launching our Comfort for Kids program in devastated areas of Japan to help the youngest survivors overcome their trauma. We will train parents, teachers and other caregivers how to guide kids through the healing process. Right now you can be a part of that: please take a moment to reach out and tell a child that you care about them.

All of us at Mercy Corps are especially thankful for people like you who have reached into your hearts and called on your community to help. Together, we’ll help these courageous people through their time of need.