Japan

The National Service-Learning Conference has lead initiatives when action is needed most.

Japan needs your help.

It is imperative that we act now. The Time is NOW!

H2O for Life, in conjunction with NYLC, is inviting all conference attendees and others to join in the efforts to help provide water and sanitation to the victims of the recent earthquake, tsunami and now nuclear disaster affecting thousands of people in Japan. People can survive for many days in very dire conditions. They cannot continue to survive without safe water and sanitation.

Japan is a great and wealthy nation but in times of disaster, expertise is needed to provide immediate resources to sustain people until services can be restored. The tsunami left such destruction that services will not be restored for many months, if not years. People are dealing with the loss of homes, jobs and families.

Is it possible that we can make a difference and give our support? Yes!

Walking for Water — for Japan!

Stop by the H2O for Life booth and find out how your school, classroom or group can host a walk for water and dedicate all donations to providing water and sanitation to the tsunami victims of Japan.

H2O for Life will provide you the tools and the know-how to return to your school and host a walk for water. Your entire school can be a part of the solution.

Commit to hosting a walk while at the conference and mark your school on our “Commitment Map.” Let’s show America that we are committed to service-learning!

H2O for Life will be the recipients of your donations. 100%-every penny-donated to H2O for Life will be sent to Mercy Corps who has agreed to direct the funds to water and sanitation needs. Below is a letter from Mercy Corps describing their most recent efforts in sanitation. Water is dispersed to all those they can serve.

Hi Patty,
So wonderful to talk with you earlier! Thank you so much for reaching out to Mercy Corps in this time of great need in Japan. We would be honored to be the beneficiary of your communities’ fundraising efforts to support water and sanitation programs in Japan!The response team found that many evacuees at the centers where we’re working had only had at most one opportunity to bathe in two weeks. We are now constructing a temporary bathhouse in the city of Ofunato. We’ve enlisted the help of local carpenters and are re-using wood debris from the tsunami zone. We would love to expand our efforts.

The latest factsheet on our efforts is attached, and updates can be found at: http://www.mercycorps.org/japanearthquake. For an overall view of our work with water and sanitation around the world, please go here: http://www.mercycorps.org/topics/water.

Mercy Corps is working in cooperation with its partner agency Peace Winds to respond to the 9.0-magnitude Sendai earthquake in Japan on March 11. Thousands of people in northeastern Japan lack adequate food, water and shelter, more than two weeks after the country was overwhelmed by a triple crisis of an earthquake, tsunami waves and nuclear emergency. Our number one priority is to fill immediate needs for basics like shelter, food and clean water. We are also starting work on programs that will help earthquake-affected families rebuild their lives.

When you know when schools are doing their walks for water, please provide as many details as possible and we’ll get it up on our events page so our community of supporters will see. http://www.mercycorps.org/events.

Is there more information I can provide? Please let me know! We really appreciate your support during this tragedy. Thank you for everything you’re doing on behalf of those we serve in Japan.

I look forward to learning more as to which schools participate!

Best wishes,
Minda Seibert
Sr. Community Fundraising Officer