PoH first visited Minamisanriku in the winter of 2012 to talk with the local city officials about building a park. Unfortunately, the only location available for a park was a grassy open area being used as a camp ground for volunteers helping with recovery efforts. In the summer of 2013 we were finally given the […]
After our third play park installation in Ishinomaki, we were delighted to receive a phone call from Ishinomaki city hall requesting that we help restore one of their official “public” parks – a major milestone for the Playground of Hope. After visiting the location and speaking with head of the Parks Department, we soon realized
One of three local daycare facilities we had the pleasure of working with in Fukushima prefecture. Approximately one hundred children attended this school prior to the nuclear accident, now only forty-seven remain. So many young families are leaving disaster-affected communities that it presents a big challenge for the future of these towns. On this build
Komagamine Daycare Read More »
One of three local daycare facilities we had the pleasure of working with the Deutsche Bank Group on in Fukushima. The ground at this location was not very level but with nothing a few shovels and some strong backs couldn’t take care of! This was our first build with NPO NADIA, whose members played a
As Ishinomaki begins to recover the city finds itself in need of quality daycare facilities for young families. We had worked with the owner of Bluebird previously in Ishinomaki and after a review of their 2012 financial records it was deemed appropriate to provide their newest facility with a Rainbow play set too! On this
Much of our success at the Playground of Hope can be attributed to our work with local NPOs and NGOs deeply committed to the communities they serve. Shinchi Daycare is a great example. The JET Program in Fukushima, working under the auspices of their NPO, “Eyes for Fukushima”, worked with us to identified three local
The Nakasai Daycare, like many daycare facilities in towns and villages throughout Japan, didn’t have much in the way of outdoor play equipment. Kesen-numa locals are committed to making their community an attractive place to live and raise a family. One small way PoH can support their efforts is by providing local daycare services with
For over eighteen months the children of Minamisoma were not allowed to play outside. Several indoor play spaces were built but the amount of time kids were allowed to be outside was kept to a minimum. By July 2013 the Takami Park had been thoroughly decontaminated and had become one of the only locations that
Takami Public Park Read More »
The Kid’s Room Ohisama school was built to replace a daycare center destroyed in the 3/11 tsunami. We first met the principle of the school during our Playground of Hope #3 installation in Kesennuma. We learned about their wonderful new school built entirely from a single donation from a local construction company. Great story, but
Kamaishi is a very hilly city. Flat, developable land outside the tsunami zone is in great demand and expensive. As a result, suitable “park”, locations were extremely difficult to find. Thankfully, a Shinto priest, Fuji-san ,and his wife, have turned their farm land into a community space called Cosmos. Here both children and elderly residents
Cosmos Community Park Read More »
