Tohoku HELP promotes relief work of foreigners who had been afflicted by disaster.

The relief work for foreigners, had visited foreigners who had been afflicted by disaster, and have listened to their story up until now.

This is because in Tohoku, many foreigners (especially women) of an international marriage are in the family of profession at farming or fisheries, and those are the ones who have been afflicted by disaster. This issue is seen only in Tohoku because of its local features, and this work of supporting individual subject is to understand their problem accurately.

Through this work, we came to understand that when “foreign wives” live in the disaster afflicted area, they have many difficulties, and these difficulties are caused mainly by the following two factors. The first one is the problem with language, and the second one is culture.

In a time of emergency like an earthquake, it is very important to take intimate communication with the people around, and to get accurate information released from the government. But those of international marriage are not able to take necessary communications with in a family, or with their relatives because of the barrier of language, and many of them get confused by the lifestyle, which developed in to a discord. A year has already passed since the earthquake, and as the suffering caused by the disaster increases, the confusion and the discord developed in the time of emergency has not been solved, but is getting worse.

The objective of Tohoku HELP, is to face these issue, together with those who are afflicted by disaster. Our motive is for the family of disaster afflicted foreigner (those who are internationally married), to have a harmonious life. And we are able to accomplish this, by overcoming the language barrier, and by understanding each other’s culture, and respecting them.

For this reason, by the cooperation of Kim Nam Shik(金南植) of International Academy Language School, we have commenced a new relief project in a different way than usual. This is “Happy Japanese Study Course”, and is meant for the studying of Japanese, purposed for the foreigner spouse residing in Japan.

This Japanese studying course is planned to be held twice a week, in Sendai Full Gospel Church Osaki branch (Osaki City Full Gospel Church) as a venue for studying. We would like to inform that the opening ceremony for this studying course was held on March 25th.


The ceremony started with prayer, and executive board member Saigusa of Tohoku HELP, and Sakaguchi, who is a principal of International Language School gave a speech on the expectation of this Study Course.

After the speech, hymns were sung in harmony, and having a good time, all wished for the happiness of each one through this learning.

The study course has already been commenced from March 27th, and with the proposal from the person in charge of Language Academy, Tohoku dialect course have been added to it. The program will not end only in the studying of languages, but also will introduce Japan’s culture and custom. Exchange program has been planned for the family members also, so that they may understand the basic words and culture of their foreign spouse. In this way, we aim to have this study course to be a place to share each other’s languages and culture.

We would like to ask you to support this project and remember it in prayer, so that it may be a blessing to many.
Last of all, we would like to introduce the affidavit of a student, read in the opening ceremony.
(April 5th 2012 written by Li/Abe)

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We members of multicultural family, who live in Osaki city, hereby declare, that we through the First Happy Japanese Study Course, which is hosted by Tohoku HELP, will make this an opportunity to esteem the culture of our husband, and of our culture, so that our lives may be enriched more and more, with grace overflowing, and to be born again as a family who’s smile never cease.