[Earthquake Relief] We provided 500 servings of Bangladeshi curry (Ofunato City, Iwate Prefecture).

Nearly three weeks have passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake. I offer my deepest condolences to all those affected by the disaster.

Not only Japanese people, but also many foreign residents are deeply saddened by the earthquake. Our organization's office has also received numerous messages from people saying, "As a foreigner who has lived in Japan for many years, I want to do something."

As the first phase of our disaster relief activities, on Sunday, March 27, 2011, we traveled to the disaster-stricken area (Iwate Prefecture) and provided Bangladeshi curry. Three members from our organization—Kato, Shajahan (Hassan), and Katsuta—along with two others who assisted with documentation, a total of five people went to the site.
(*These are the impressions of Kato, Shajahan (Hassan), and Katsuta, who participated in the activities from our organization.)APFS BlogI've uploaded it. Please take a look.

Bangladeshi curry distribution event (500 servings): Schedule for the day
—————————————————————————-
[Sunday, March 27, 2011]
9:00 Arrived at Suesaki Junior High School in Ofunato City, Iwate Prefecture.
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM: Cooking 300 servings of chicken coconut curry.
12:00 - 14:00: Serving 300 portions of Chicken Coconut Curry.
Meetings with disaster victims and local disaster response headquarters, etc.
14:30 Arrived at Suesaki Elementary School in Ofunato City, Iwate Prefecture
14:30-17:30 Cooking 200 servings of chicken coconut curry and vegetable curry.
17:30-20:00: 200 servings of Chicken Coconut Curry and Vegetable Curry will be available.
Meeting with disaster victims and local stakeholders
20:00 Departure from local time

Organizer: APFS (Non-Profit Organization).
(ASIAN PEOPLE'S FRIENDSHIP SOCIETY)
cooperation:Padma
—————————————————————————-

Through television and other media, elderly people and children in the disaster-stricken areas were expressing their desire to "eat something warm" and "eat meat." Shajahan (Hassan), a board member, had a strong desire to respond to these voices, which led to the realization of the above activities.

We received many warm words from the disaster victims, such as, "This is the first time I've been able to eat something warm since the disaster," "It was delicious, I ate two and a half bowls," "The curry rice after so long cheered me up," "Thank you so much," and "We will definitely recover, so please come visit."

Our organization's guiding principle is "mutual understanding and mutual assistance between Japanese and foreigners." During our activities, Shajahan (Hassan) said, "Regardless of nationality, we all need to help each other throughout Japan." This activity truly embodied our organization's philosophy.

Regarding this activity,PadmaWe received tremendous support from (Italian and Bangladeshi cuisine) and from Ms. Chie Megami, an employee of Iwate Prefecture. We express our sincere gratitude.

Based on this experience, APFS will continue to provide support to disaster-stricken areas.

[Added on 2011/3/31]
We have decided to start soliciting donations for our second round of soup kitchen activities.
Details of the donation→Click here←from.