During the 3/11 disaster, the Ushiami Hoikusho building was damaged beyond repair. As such, Higashi Matsushima City had to rebuild the building. Instead of rebuilding it at the same location, the school was moved more inland, and it was finished and opened in April 2016.
A few months after the school reopened, Playground of Hope went to Ushiami Hoikusho together with Philip Morris volunteers to build a playset there. Besides building the playset and holding the typical PoH barbecue for the children and their parents, Philip Morris volunteers also built beautifully designed wooden benches for the school as well as the nearby Sora no Eki – “Ono-kun House.”
