Iinokawa Elementary School was actually outside of the tsunami zone from the 3.11 Earthquake. Nonetheless, it was still greatly affected by the disaster. Several of the schools nearby that were not as fortunate had to relocate their students. It was decided that Iinokawa Elementary would be merged with its sister school, Iinokawa Elementary #2. 30 new children joined the current 140 pupils at Iinokawa Elementary. Due to this move, there was concern over how the kids will cope with the move and new environment as well as fitting in with their new classes.
We thought that having a playground build and opening event would be the perfect opportunity for the children and families/PTA members to mix and get to know each other in a fun environment. Needless to say, it was yet another great success for Playground of Hope and the community.
