David Brisson, who lives in Japan found Jespere online and decided to join us in our support activity towards evacuees currently living in Tokyo.
David is an ostepath (www.dbosteo.jp) who has kindly been working as a volunteer therapist, visiting evacuation facilities in Miyagi prefecture after the disaster in order to help and give treatments towards the elderly and people with disability .
Not only he has been working in aid towards pregnant women and mother victims, he also donates part of his earning to Jespere.

David Brisson Osteopath Tokyo

---

Atago Souko Co., Ltd Osaka office has gifted us 15000 Ethanol Gel. This will be distributed to the locations below and will be given to the mothers attending the workshop and places such as local care homes in the region.

Atago Souko Co., Ltd Osaka office Sales department, section manager Mr Ehara (photo right) has coordinated the delivery process of the ethanol gels as well as negotiated the cost of delivery in order to assist J'espère. Thank you very much! The cost of delivery has been covered by the donation given fromSenshu Kai.

Donation delivered to: Iwate pref.; Manmaru , Miyagi pref.; Baby Smile Ishinomaki , Oppai Jyuku (Breastfeeding Support) , Miyagi pref. Midwives Association , Fukushima pref.; Soma Midwifery Clinic , Commune with Josanshi (Midwife) , Fukushima pref. Midwives Association , Niigata pref.; Nagaoka Midwives Association , Yamagata pref.; Yamagata Ikuji Circle Land (Parenting Organisation)

---

We have given Komam Dolls at the workshop held in Miyako-shi, which was visited by Manmaru workshop midwife who travelled on the day there to support it. In Miyako city, local mothers have organised themselves together and started this workshop.

---

We have given Komam Dolls to the children attending the workshop held by Miyagi pref. Midwives Association. Minami Sanriku is one of the areas, which experienced a huge damage. We sent the dolls with the wish that the children in this area to grow well and healthy.

---

We have given Komam Dolls to the children attending Manmaru Workshop in Kamaishi-shi. Hope you will all enjoy it!

---

At the Oppai Jyuku(Breastfeeding workshop) held in June, we gave out Komam Dolls. The workshop was held at the waiting room of the paediatrics ward.

---

On 5th June JCN Musashino Mitaka Cable TV has visited us to make a mini documentary on our work. On the 11th of every month, this TV studio broadcasts about an organisation working to support the disaster areas.

Documentary on J'espère will be broadcasted at 6 pm on 11th of June.

---

We have given Komam Dolls at the Baby Smile Ishinomaki workshop on the 22nd of May. The photo shows two boys aged 16months and 18 months. We hope you will enjoy it!

---

On Sunday 25th May, Haha-to-Ko Tohoku Project by Senshu kai and Baby Smile Ishinomaki together held "Smile Support Festival!! in Ishinomaki"

For further information on our event, please look at BELLE MAISON

---

We will show you the current situation of the disaster areas, the reality of victim's everyday life and the parenting situation.

On Sunday 23rd June, there will be speeches from J'espère & Matsugaoka Birth Center representative Shoko So and NPO Kosodate ship representative Ito.

"We will not let 3.11 forgotten!" We support the parenting at the disaster areas. We will tell you what is happening right now, all the hardship and the effort that people are experiencing NOW.

* We will also have donation box on the day. We hope you will be able to give us some support and we look forward to seeing you there.

Look at the festival flyer.

---

We have been given a donation from Wanabi Japan. We are grateful of your generosity and support. Here is the message that we have also received;

WaNavi Japan is a nonprofit organization that came together after the Great East Japan Earthquake Disaster to empower and support international residents (especially mothers with young children). 41% of international residents have never experienced an earthquake before coming to Japan. After 3.11, we witnessed many international residents who lost confidence in living in Japan due to the lack of support and information. We wanted to do something to support victims of 3.11 and international residents simultaneously, and we came together from different backgrounds and nationalities to deliver our very first "Earthquake Preparedness Workshop" in May of 2011 as a charity for Tohoku. Since then, we have conducted our workshops at various community groups, international schools, embassies, graduate schools, and companies. We have called for donations at our workshops, and have accumulated a portion of our earnings in hopes to support victims, especially mothers, who are in need. Members of WaNavi Japan and our community strongly relate to and empathize with the mission of the Tohoku Kosodate Project. We want all mothers living in Japan to live comfortably and confidently, and we will continue to do what we can to support mothers in need.

WaNavi Japan

---

We have given Komam Doll to Boy T aged three months old, living in Ofunato-shi. We wish a healthy growth!

---

SHIZEN Yoga Studio has given us a donation. We are very grateful for your generosity and support. Here is the message that we have also received;

" SHIZEN Yoga Studio is based in Kichijyoji, Tokyo and has been running classes aimed for different age groups as well as antenatal and postnatal classes since 2004. The disaster in 2011 has really made us think; "What can we do?" and "How should we spend our everyday life?" What we can do right now, is to be connected, to gather our hearts together to unite and feel grateful of each day.

‘Everyone who comes to our studio, including the studio representative; Dominica Serigano, the instructors, antenatal and postnatal class attendees, and the students all have a great empathy with the work of J'espère. We would like to continue to hold our charity classes in order to fundraise for J'espère. We hope from our heart that there will be more smiles in the everyday life of the mothers and the babies in the disaster areas. Namaste "

SIZEN Yoga Studio

---

We have a report from Midwife Miyahara:

" I have given the dolls to the babies who have attended the Workshop in Minami Soma-shi today (14th May). From the moment the babies was given the dolls, their expressions have changed and they were all buried in their own play for a while. I was impressed to see the different personality coming though by the way they all played differently with the same toy.

There were so many ways to play with the dolls. Some babies will be moving the arms and legs, some will just lick the toys or stroke it for a long time, some will just be staring at it and some just clutched it in their hands and never let it go.

All the mothers were very happy to be given such a lovely gift and they sent their gratitude to you all.

Thank you so much for such lovely gifts and messages.
Keiko Miyahara.

Please also visit "News from Soma Midwifery Clinic" (Japan Midwives Association Fukushima pregecture Branch: Mother and Child Victi Support Project)

---

On the 8th May 2013, Kosodate-ship has been granted NPO cooperation status by Ofunato city and a ceremony was held.

It was held at the Ofunato City Council Hall and Ofunato city Mayor Hiroaki Toda has given a speech to certify the status of Reiko Ito who is the representative of Kosodate-ship and a midwife. Shoko So who is a midwife and the representative of J'espère and has been providing continuous support to the local aid workers ever since the disaster has also attended the ceremony.

After the certification ceremony, the Mayor, the head of welfare, and the head and the chief clerk of the planning and policy sector of Ofunato City Council all joined together to hold a discussion with representatives Ito and So about policies with regards to parenting. The costal area of Tohoku has a significant amount of the population who leave the area hence they truly feel that unless something is done to make the city a place where it is comfortable to live, especially for families with small children to live and stay on, so that the next generation will also want to give birth and bring up a child in this land, there is no future in Ofunato city.

In Ofunato city, the City Council Hall is built on high ground away from the costal area as a Mayor a few generation ago has insisted such measure upon the construction of the Council Hall. Hence even if it is a city, which experienced the full damage of the Tsunami along with the Tohoku Costal areas, the government was fully functional straight after the disaster. Even with such awareness, until before the disaster, the area had a higher population of elderly people, so they had a tendency to put more importance on the support of the elderly than on parenting. However now, they fully realise the importance and necessity of support in parenting, as it is children who will reconstruct the society damaged by the disaster.

On this occasion, the Mayor has requested a proposal on the specific measures with regards to support in parenting from midwifes who work along side the pregnant women and new mothers. J'espère is planning to cooperate with NPO Cooperation Kosodate-ship in order to give proposals on policies to do with parenting to Ofunato city. We will make sure that our proposals will truly reflect what we see and feel on a day to day basis working along side the pregnant women and new mothers.

---

On Sunday the 25th May, Senshu kai Hahatoko Tohoku Project is holding Smile Support Festival! In Ishinomaki with Baby Smile Ishinomaki. There will be "Hand craft workshop" using kits from Senshu kai and "Smile Photo Session" by a professional photographer.

A Gin-Dako Car (a car stall to sell savoury food snacks with octopus) will also be on site! We will deliver "Free tickets" in order for you to enjoy the snack. We hope to see all the mums who live in or around Ishinomaki city!

---

10.05.2013 J'espère's activity has been documented.

¦ Enlarge the original article

---

On Sunday the 21st April, despite the rainy day a Charity Bazaar was held by PePe English Salon and Tsubomi (no Ie Children's Clothes) and the profit has been donated.

Thank you for selling Komam dolls. One was bought for the customer's use and three were bought to be sent to the disaster area. Thank you very much for your support.

---

On the 5th of April at " Sea side mama and grandma tea party" and on the 9th of April at "Otuchi district Parenting support Center" Komam Dolls were gifted to the mother victims in the area.

Thank you very much for your warm feelings. Your feelings have been passed down to the mums with the dolls. They were very happy to receive such sweet gifts. I am really grateful for those who have bought the dolls to be given to the mums in the disaster area! Thank you very much. (Midwife: Sato)

These are the letters from people in Hanamaki city (Click to enlarge)

---

La Vita, the Visiting Photo Studio is running a charity event on 17th May. They are donating part of the profit to J'espère.

This event was also held at Matsugaoka birth Center and it was so popular that it was fully booked right away! So please come and visit this event. We have also participated (our family photo is on the left!)!

Look at the event poster

---

Ito, representing Kosodate ship has gifted the dolls to the six mothers living in the temporary housing at Rikuzentakata city.

NB We will up load a report as soon as we receive it from the local staff. (As there are events scheduled in the local area, this is planned to continue until May or June.)

---

Our events on the 10th and the 11th of March at SEIYU Kichijyoji branch to sell Komam dolls were a great success. We send our thanks to the customers who bought the dolls and SEIYU Kichijyoji branch in supporting our event.

The mother who is on the photo has found our event on the J'espère HP and has come all the way from another prefecture (Hayama shi, Kanagawa pref.) to attend our event. Everyone who has bought the dolls sends a supporting message to the victims of the disaster.

We have asked the buyers to write a message to accompany the dolls. Messages such as " Sending you support from Tokyo, may your baby grow well and strong" " Please have fun with the pretty doll" will be sent with the dolls to the victims. Thank you so much.

On the 10th, we had direct support from Mr Kanayama who is a SVP of SEIYU at the stalls, supporting our aid activity while selling the dolls.

This event was really made possible by the generous support from SEIYU, customers of SEIYU who bought the dolls, people who have given donations to J'espère, midwives from Tokyo and many others. Thank you very much.

Tokyo is thinking of you! Hope our feeling is reaching the victims!

[ Kokam Dolls sales report ]

	For personal use (Number of dolls sold)	Bought for the victims (Number of dolls sold)	Total
10th March At the shop stall	36	24	60
11th March At the shop stall	16	29	45
Other sales	0	16	16
Total	52	69	121

The midwives from Tokyo visiting the disaster area or the local midwives will be gifting the dolls accompanying a personal message to the mothers in the area.

Please show your continued support to our SEIYU donation box also.

---

Date and Time: Sunday 10th and 11th March. 10:00 to 18:00
Place: JR Kichijyoji Station SEIYU Kichijyoji branchi. 1st floor.
View the event poster.

There are no large shops let alone a shop where you can buy goods for children in Ofunato and Rikuzentakaka city in Iwate Pref. People here need to travel 30 km to 70 km away to towns such as Kisennuma or Hanamaki city in order to purchase things for children.

People who are living in the temporary housing are the people who lost everything by Tsunami. They are brining up children and thinking about their future while having to think about how they can start to make a living from scratch together with huge financial and emotional pressures.

We have decided to gift these wooden dolls (Komam Doll) for such mothers and children with a hope to give some enjoyment in their everyday life. Wooden toys are hard to come by and we believe the natural texture of the wood will make great toys for the babies too.

The toys will be given directly by the midwives and it will accompany a personal message from the buyer.

If you would like to buy the dolls for yourself, we will use the profit to support activities.

---

On 9th of March, our support activity has been reported in Yomiuri Newspaper as "Sending heart warming doll gifts to the disaster area"

We will be selling Komam Dolls with a help of SEIYU Kichijyoji branch.

Original Newspaper article

---

J'espère has been awarded a "Mirai award" by "Parenting projects to strengthen our future" by Sumitomo Seimei (Mirai means the future).

This project, run by Sumitomo Seimei has two main areas in raising public awareness; "Recognition of parenting support activities" and " Support towards mothers in academia" through which they support healthy parenting and formation of positive future.

"Recognition of parenting support activities" – Here individuals, charities and organisations running projects to support healthy parenting specific to the needs of the area and the people are reported and introduced to the wider public. This aims to support such activities and contribute towards wider distribution of such activities.

On the 4th of February, the awards ceremony was held at Hotel New Otani and winners of the awards gathered together from all over Japan. Two organisations received the "Mirai Grand Award" and ten organisations received the "Mirai Award"

J'espère ‘s work; " An activity supporting mothers and babies who are victims in the disaster area though using the network of midwives" was recognised and awarded.

We aim to continue our work in support of mother and child victims in the year 2013. This award was a great encouragement. Our work is made possible only through everyone's support. We would like to express our gratitude again towards individuals, organisations and companies who have given us donations and supported us in our work. Thank you very much for all your support.

---

On the above day, the last day of a TV Tokyo program called; NEWS Answer: SupportingParenting, the work of Kosodate-ship of Ofunato city (Workshops and Visiting support service)was taken up. Representative of Tohoku Kosodate (Parenting) Project, Shoko So talked about the details of the aid projects and the necessity of aid work in the disaster area.

* To view the program online please visit

NEWS Answer LIVES Archive

---