nuclear-news

On today’s podcast, Maggie and Nat interview our very inspiring friend Yumi Kikuchi. Fairewinds has been working with Yumi for more than a year now. She encouraged us to send material to the Tokyo Peace Film Festival, which she organized, and we sent our film “You are not alone.” Yumi also co-sponsored Arnie’s trip to Japan in 2012, where he gave the presentation “Japan at a Crossroads: Two Futures.”

Image source ; http://www.harmonicslife.com/

Yumi left Japan with her family after the Fukushima Daiichi accident, and currently lives in Hawaii. She founded the Fukushima Kids Hawaii Project (FKHP), usually shortened to Fukushima Kids, and has just returned to Japan where she will be spreading awareness about the project and fundraising.

Fukushima Kids aims to host children from Fukushima in Hawaii during school vacations, where they can play outdoors safe from high radiation levels. Children are more vulnerable to the effects of radiation than adults, and we are already seeing signs of thyroid cancer and cysts among children in Fukushima. There are about 260,000 kids left living in the Fukushima prefecture, and Yumi is hoping to host 15 kids this first summer.

How can you help?

Spread the word about the project, and about the health crisis in Japan. Those in Hawaii can contact Yumi about hosting children or volunteering. Gathering financial support is most crucial to the project right now, with airfare for the kids being the biggest expense.

To donate via paypal: genm@trust.ocn.ne.jp

To donate by mail in the USA, make check payable to Harmonics Life Center Hawaii, subject line Fukushima Kids, and mail to: Harmonics Life Center c/o Morita 75-286 Hoene Street Kailua Kona, HI 96740

In Japan, you can make a donation by Yubin-Furikae at any post office to the Harmonics Life Center: 00110-1-144224