About HARU

We provide assistance toward the reconstruction of Tohoku district, devastated by the quake and the following Tsunami on March 11, 2011.Many volunteer students of Tohoku University have joined us in this noble cause. Also, HARU have received official recognition from Tohoku University so that we are able to promote volunteer activities to meet community needs. In the future, we are switching our work to the long-term reconstruction with broad range of cooperation.

Showing posts with label Column. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Column. Show all posts

Sunday, November 13, 2011

After 8 months

Hi, this is Tsugawa, from public relation of HARU.
We are going to change how we disseminate our acts, as HARU changed its activity form.
Honestly speaking, we have escaped from a lot of things to protect us.
It was because we couldn't presume what would happen, and we were scared that those happenings might turn out to be serious problems.
In fact, we have faced numbers of failures and frustrations.
Also we have hesitated to disseminate our acts, for asking ourselves if we can do something we can really be proud of. We heard people say the word "self-satisfaction."

On this occasion we are re-examining the operations of HARU. We are feeling that we should confront to problems more authentically. We would like to share them here as well.


Through our past actions, we learned how difficult it is to act for others. We have to understand genuinely what they need, sometimes those are implicit or opposite from what they say.
Still more, we have to take the measure if we can handle them. We might trouble even more for not being able to manage ourselves for strong sense of mission and responsibility.
Another problem is whether our actions actually help them or not.
To go to the extreme, the actions might extinguish their opportunity of getting the strength, mind or idea of overcoming the problem, where we cannot help them for entire future.
However, we won't be able to do anything if we thought of such things.
I thought that there is no way other than do things what we can do with cordiality and receptivity.
For that matter we need true heart to sympathize with others.
We will keep acting with real motivation, understanding, and sincerity.



It's getting much cold these days in Miyagi as the daytime gets shorter.
Take care,
Y.Tsugawa

View from Tohoku University @Mt. Aoba


Thursday, April 14, 2011

Sendai Ichigo (Sendai Strawberry)



    Good evening, everyone. I’m a member of the Volunteer team.
    How did you get your food soon after the Great East Japan Earthquake, everyone? I queued for a vegetable store a few days after the earthquake. At that time, I saw that very delicious-looking strawberries made in Miyagi were sold. I bought a package because they were so bright red and delicious-looking, and I thought they would give me power. I decided my rule to eat those strawberries up to three a day. I ate them bit by bit preciously. They were very delicious. Fruits give us vigor, don’t they? I enjoyed them for a few days.

    Nowadays, HARU went to Yamamotochou, where is famous for strawberry. Have you ever heard of “Sendai Ichigo?” However, sadly, most of strawberry farms were located at the coast, where they were almost completely broke down. The above photo shows there were a lot of strawberry plastic greenhouses. The Tsunami was so strong that the windbreak forests and houses were destroyed.

    I heard from a town official, that the strawberries which were sold soon after the great earthquake were shipped lastly from Yamamotochou. The strawberry which I ate might have grown up in Yamamotochou. The Sendai ichigo might no longer be made, because the greenhouses were like above photo.

    I hope Yamamotochou will be able to grow the delicious strawberries again. I’m going to do what I can do myself, even if they were tiny. I’ll make one more effort tomorrow.