The following two organizations are recommended for three reasons:

1. Small amounts of money make a big difference to these organizations, unlike the large national/international relief agencies.
    
2. Contributions support direct relief efforts while at the same time assisting activists working for peace and environmental protection.
    
3. These are trusted organizations with which I have close ties. My first trip to Japan, which inspired our Peace Lantern Ceremony, was to speak at the annual conference of ZENKO. I have met Yumi Kikuchi and Gen Morita of Tsunagu Hikari and been hosted at their organic farm.
    

— Steve Freedkin, founder, Bay Area Peace Lantern Ceremony

 

Tsunagu Hikari, or Connecting Light, is headed by Ms. Yumi KIKUCHI, who has been working for some time to shut down nuclear power in Japan. She is currently, with her husband Gen and their organization, relocating people from the area around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant and resettle them to Okinawa, the southermost island some 1,500 miles south of Fukushima. They are concentrating on pregnant women and those with young children. Tsunagu Hikari is educating people in the area about the need to evacuate, since the Japanese government is setting an evacuation zone much smaller than recommended by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.S. Government, or Greenpeace, all of which are conducting radiation monitoring in Fukushima prefecture. The group is also providing summer-camp activities for children who, months after the disaster began, are still living in shelters.

By the first week of April, the organization had already relocated 16 families to volunteer host-family homes in Okinawa. The Okinawa Prefecture (state) government has pledged to provide ongoing support to the relocated families. Tsunagu Hikari needs funds for transportation plus a small stipend for the host families.

To contribute, send a check (in U.S. dollars) payable and addressed to:
 
Gen Morita—Tsunagu Hikari
903 Maunawili Circle
Kailua, HI 96734-4620 USA

Please e-mail Yumi Kikuchi to let her know your donation has been sent, at the recommendation of the Bay Area Peace Lantern Ceremony.

To contribute in Japanese yen, see this page for bank information.

 

ZENKO members. ZENKO—National Assembly for Peace and Democracy (Web site in Japanese), is a national network of peace and justice activists. While all the members survived, some suffered damage to their homes, and some lost their jobs. Contributing to the ZENKO fund targets your support specifically to affected social-justice activists, many of whom may be lower-income because of the unpaid time they dedicate to working for change.

To contribute, send a check (in Japanese yen or U.S. dollars) payable and addressed to:
 
Progressive Portal—for ZENKO
c/o Steve Freedkin
5111 Telegraph Ave. #274
Oakland, CA 94609-1925 USA

Top of This Page  |  Lantern Ceremony Home Page