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GCAP Japan Releases Grassroots Solidarity Video

Submitted by admin on Thu, 22 Dec 2011 - 21:13
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Ugoku/Ugokasu (GCAP Japan) today released a video clip titled "Ishinomaki International Festival: Solidarity between peoples of tsunami-affected area in Japan and grass-roots communities in developing nations" (6 min and 40 sec)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFnInlTKwJU

This video clip features the visit of 3 community leaders of developing countries to Ishinomaki, a northern Japanese city which was worst affected by the Great East-Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, in October. 

The three leaders were Ms. Vasanthakala from Sri Lanka, Ms. Rose Thamae (Mama Rose) from South Africa, and Mr. Ibrahim Muhammad from Iraq. Ms. Vasanthakala is a leader of a community organization for the reconstruction of villages affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. Mama Rose is a leader of "Let Us Grow", a community organizations of people living with HIV/AIDS in Orange Farm, a township near Johannesburg. Mr. Ibrahim is a care worker for children affected by the civil war, especially radio-toxicity of Depleted Uranium Weapons (DU). They visited Japan from October 7 to 17, during the term of Stand Up Take Action Campaign in Japan. 
 
The visit provided a great opportunity to create inter-continental solidarity of the people who fight against poverty and disaster. They visited temporary housings of the people who lost their houses by the tsunami. "Stand Up Take Action" in the temporary housings enpowered the people living there. Ishinomaki Int'l Festival on October 11 was also successfully held in the central shopping area of Ishinomaki, which was also affected by tsunami. In Tokyo after October 13, they had a press conferences, meeting with parliamentary members, and had anti-poverty rallies with Japan's civil society groups against poverty. 
 
Through the series of events in Ishinomaki, approximately 300 people joined Stand Up Take Action to show their will to eradicate world poverty as well as the rebuild new Ishinomaki and Northern Japan. The outcome of Japan's Stand Up Take Action campaign during October 1 to 17 was that 31,389 participants with 933 events in total from all of Japan's 47 prefectures. 
 
We will continue our sustainable efforts to organize public mobilization against global poverty from Japan. 

Sincerely Yours,

GCAP Japan