ERCIS, Turkey – Operation Blessing disaster relief teams are on the ground in Turkey working in partnership with Humedica, a German medical team, to bring relief to earthquake survivors.

JAPAN – The severed bow of a fiberglass fishing boat jutted out from under a huge pile of mangled ropes and rotting fishing nets. Under mounds of smashed plastic crates and pieces of foam were fragments of countless other boats. These vessels, once afloat and filled with fishermen’s catch, were now in a boat graveyard filled with the wreckage of the local fishing industry. In a separate pile, mangled metal had been separated for recycling.

It has been six months since the Japan tsunami, and now a patina of rust had painted the wreckage orange. Outboard boat motors were piled on top of each other; their bent propellers will never again spin in the ocean that destroyed them.

The residents of the coastline villages have been working alongside volunteers to sift through the endless piles of debris, slowly sorting things into salvageable piles. The metal smelts will be busy for years to come, yet still much of the debris can only be hauled to huge landfills.

After six months I expected to see real progress on the clean up in these rural areas, but the main focus has been on repairing the roads and power infrastructure. This has given us access to see even more places that were affected by the disaster, and in some ways I’m more shocked than ever.

The narrow coastal road winds in and out of tiny towns and villages—mile after mile there are still mountains of debris. After each bend in the road, there is a small cove where fishermen once lived. Now the only evidence of those lives are the concrete slabs where their homes stood.

Everywhere you look there is some remnant of fishing equipment strewn in the trees and bushes. At sea level, you can gaze upward and see fishing nets stuck in trees 30 feet in the air, a chilling reminder of the height of the tsunami (in some places it reached a height of 130 feet). Broken boats litter the landscape, some deposited far inland. The tsunami decimated local businesses and industries but none as widespread or damaging as the impact on the fishing industry.

The Japanese diet famously revolves around seafood. With such high demand, the Japanese fishing industry is one of the best established in the world. But across the 300-mile stretch of coastline affected by the tsunami, fishery infrastructure was obliterated. In many small fishing towns the concrete harbor walls were literally swept away and boat ramps smashed into pieces and dragged into the sea. For thousands of fishermen, livelihoods were destroyed in mere minutes, leaving them with nothing.

In the days and weeks following the tsunami, Operation Blessing began working with fishing communities to meet their urgent needs. We provided food, water and even generators for power. As the emergency needs began to wane, we started to dialogue with fishing guilds on how to get fishermen back to work. OBI provided computers, printers and office supplies to a fishing guild on the Urato Islands to enable them to communicate with the mainland and with our Japan team. Thanks to the communication line, we began to compile lists of equipment needed to get fishermen back in business.

The islands are home to conventional fishermen as well as oystermen and seaweed farmers. Since the tsunami Operation Blessing has delivered a variety of equipment to the islands, everything from anchors to fishing nets, ropes to floats. But as vital as those things are, there is one tool at the heart of the profession that is the lifeline to every waterman—their boats.

With at least 10,000 boats destroyed, Japanese boat builders were quickly flooded with orders and a backlog formed. There has probably never been this much demand for small fishing boats at one time in world history and that means a long wait for thousands of fishermen, assuming that they could afford a boat in the first place. Many lost all of their possessions, including their homes, so the prospect of purchasing a new boat and equipment is daunting and fishing guilds are reporting that many fishermen are simply giving up the trade.

Operation Blessing wanted to help find boats for fishermen but with all the manufacturers tied up, purchasing new boats was not an option. So we needed to get creative. Our Japan team started to scour the nation in search of used boats. The team began to locate and purchase boats as far away as the southern city of Okinawa. Some boats were purchased from individuals and some from dealers who would give us a great discount after hearing about the cause.

With so much need we had to make the decision to focus our effort on one community. At one of our free eyeglass clinics in the town of Oya-Motoyoshi, the town mayor requested that we specifically help them find boats, so we agreed to focus there. After several weeks OB Japan had managed to locate and purchase 42 boats and motors and we alerted the fishing guild in Oya-Motoyoshi that we were ready to donate them to fisherman as soon as possible, the prime fishing season was fast approaching.

On September 4, 2011, the sun was shining despite Typhoon Talas looming to the south. There was a strong breeze, which made 42 crisp, white flags flicker and dance. The flags were on poles in each boat and on each flag were the Japanese characters meaning “Big Catch,” a traditional expression used during the launch of a new fishing boat to wish it success. The boats were arranged in a long line, their bows all pointing out to the sea, ready for action. As the start of the ceremony grew near the fishermen and their families began to arrive for the celebration.

There was lots of hustle and bustle as last minute registration decals were being added to some boats and out-board motors were fuelled up. Journalists and TV crews began to jostle for position and with a series of bows and handshakes the ceremony was underway.

The local mayor remarked about how thankful he was that these fishermen could get back to work so quickly. Then Operation Blessing’s president, Bill Horan, took the microphone and gave a rousing address. Bill spoke of how he, his father and his grandfather were fishermen and how he had lost his boat to a hurricane. The words resonated with the fishermen. They were ecstatic that Bill could relate to them and that an organization from America had come all that way to help them.

Each fisherman took to the stage to receive an official certificate of donation from Operation Blessing. One man who could speak English let out a huge, “Thank you” and shouted, “I love you!” much to the amusement of his comrades. But he was sincere and it was clear to us that all of these men, having lost so much, were extremely grateful for the gift. One fisherman, Mr. Mura Samu, tried his best to hold back tears as he said into the microphone, “You have provided in us a spark of hope that will become a fire.”

At the close of the ceremony there was an unexpected surprise. The stage was quickly transformed with painted wooden cutouts of waves and boats and a large group of fishermen and their wives took to the stage—the men in their fishing overalls and the women wearing bright traditional costumes. A line of men began to pound the stage in unison with long wooden oars. They started to sing a hearty, joyful chant and some men reenacted the pulling in of nets. In the nets were three giant stuffed tuna that they pretended to haul into their boats. In the foreground the women danced and smiled at their husbands having landed such a “Big Catch.”

We were told that the dance was traditionally done at the end of a great day of fishing to celebrate prosperity; it was the first time the community had performed the dance since the tsunami. I think that for the whole community, to see the dance and sing the chorus of celebration, their spirits began to lift to a place they haven’t been since the tsunami. This was no longer a town overcome by disaster; it was a town returning to normal.

After great applause, the moment everyone came for was upon us. Each fisherman took position at his boat and called his friends to help him roll it into the harbor. In a flurry of cheers, waving flags and the putter of starting motors the boats began to glide into the sea. I managed to climb aboard one of the boats just before it splashed into the water. The fisherman had a huge beaming smile on his face and with the snap of his wrist the out board motor revved up and we took off to join the armada.

The fishermen weaved and dodged each other laughing as we circled the bay. Some of the boats were having friendly races while others slowly cut through water, their captains taking deep breaths with closed eyes, happy to be back on the water. The fishermen chuckled and sped around the harbor a few times before returning to the dock to celebrate with their families. They greeted the OBI team with such gratitude; some of them had tears welling in their eyes as they thanked us.

It was a special day for everyone, for the fishermen who had regained their livelihoods, for the OB Japan team who worked so hard to make it happen and for Bill and myself who were fortunate to witness and document the events. Thanks to our donors we have been able to transform the lives of many fishing families who lost everything in the tsunami. Ours was the first big distribution of boats since the tsunami and for the recipients, hope has been restored.

The need is still huge and our OB Japan team is gearing up to do an even bigger boat distribution in the near future. We are launching an “Adopt a Boat” program where a donor can purchase a boat for a fisherman or join others in purchasing a boat. And in an interesting turn of events, OBI has teamed up with a boat builder in Maine, U.S.A., to design and build boats for Japan. The American boat industry is going through a difficult patch so any work we can offer them is greatly appreciated.

Operation Blessing is connecting the dots between struggling boat builders in the United States with Japanese fishermen unable to purchase boats because the boat builders here can’t meet the demand. With our help many more fishermen can get back to work, enabling them to support their families and rebuild their communities. Through donating to Operation Blessing, the ability to help these tsunami survivors reclaim their lives is a “Big Catch” for you and for me.

KENYA – The famine that is gripping the Horn of Africa has been gaining attention in the world media with much of the focus being on the Somali refugees pouring over the border to Kenya in search of food.

But Kenya is facing a massive crisis of its own—recent reports of severe food shortages and famine have started emerging from the northern Kenyan state of Turkana.

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I joined the Operation Blessing Kenya team for an emergency response to several remote villages in the Turkana region. As we flew into the regional capital, Lodwar, I was amazed at the expanse of yellow desert below. I have been to the desert of east Kenya before but never knew that this northern part of the country was such a dry wilderness.

As we drove through Lodwar, the stifling hot wind blew sand across the road and coated our vehicle with a fine dust. Our driver frequently used the windshield wipers to brush the dust from the glass. Actually that’s all the wipers are good for here, it hasn’t rained in over two years, and it shows.

The town quickly faded into a huge expanse of desert with the occasional shrub or tree; there was little sign of life for mile after mile. We followed an Operation Blessing truck, rated to carry a 10 ton payload, but, like so many trucks in Africa, this one was over-stuffed with almost 14 tons of maize (grain). Our team had pre-purchased the food across the border in Uganda where it was cheaper since the harvest was good in Uganda this year.

After more than an hour of driving along a sun-scorched, sandy trail we came across a group of people sitting under a tree. Nearby there were three camels doing their best to strip the leaves off a thorny shrub.

We stopped and got out to talk to the group. The women wore beautiful beaded collars that stretched from their shoulders up to their chins. The multi-colored beads contrasted vividly against the bland desert. With their colorful outfits, these Turkana tribes-people were some of the most striking I have ever seen.

But behind the beauty of their dress, these people are facing serious problems; they live in a land with no food and hardly any water. One woman gestured to her stomach to tell me she was hungry. Jefferson, our Kenya country director, told them that we were distributing food in a village up to trail. They immediately started gathering their things to head where we were going.

We soon entered a small village where the huts scattered on either side of the dusty road were surrounded by fences made of thorn bushes. These weren’t mud huts—you need water to make mud—these huts were made entirely from straw and looked more like giant bird nests than homes. But millions of people live like that in northern Kenya. It’s estimated that 3.5 million people are affected by the famine in Kenya alone.

Our truck came to a stop near a cluster of trees and the team started to prepare for a distribution. We had been led to this community by the district commissioner’s office because it was particularly hard hit and there had been reports of deaths from hunger. The district commissioner had arranged for local police to help us with the distribution, and it was a good thing because we soon had almost 1,500 people clambering for a place in the distribution line.

Once things got underway it went fairly smooth. The community had shade under the trees and the long lines moved steadily as OBI team members scooped the grain into the sacks and baskets that the villagers turned up with.

I walked around the crowds and marveled at the beauty of the Turkana jewelry, but as I did I noticed the frail children strapped to the mothers’ backs. From under the brightly patterned clothes of the mothers the tiny frail arms and legs of their children dangled in the heat.

The children and the elderly are the most serious victims of the famine. The lack of food stunts a child’s development and it robs an older person of the strength to fight off sickness. Some of the villagers took us for a short walk to see the grave of a person that died just days earlier, they said from starvation. There in the desert sun a pile of rocks was mounded on the body. Sand had already started to envelope the grave and soon it will become hidden by the same desert that claimed this person’s life.

I asked the villagers what they ate during good times. I learned that they hardly ever ate local plants or vegetables because even in the rainy years it is too hard to grow crops. They usually survive on milk from their animals and after selling some animals they might buy some grain or vegetables occasionally.

But now, with the drought, their animals are dying and those that haven’t yet died are too dehydrated to produce milk. There is literally nothing nutritious to eat here—nothing. Some had resorted to eating leaves and even then they rationed their intake to make sure there was enough for the whole family.

As we walked back to the distribution site, I saw another example of how vital these supplies were. At the foot of the truck where the team was unloading the sacks there were two women sifting their fingers through the dust searching for maize kernels that had fallen from the sacks. As they picked through the sand they clutched a small handful of kernels covered in grit; this might be a meal for them. Those women were part of the 500 families that received food in that village, but they were determined to find every last grain.

Once the distribution was finished the crowd began to disperse. As we drove back along the sand trail, we saw women with sacks of food on their heads heading back to their huts and people from other villages heading off into the open wilderness—some had walked over five miles to collect the food.

The next day we went out to a different community for another distribution. It was not much different from the previous day—more hungry families, more tales of starvation, more emergency food handed out. The needs are endless here and Operation Blessing cannot keep giving out emergency food forever, nor do we want to. We are actively working on permanent solutions to the drought problem in Kenya.

Already in two Kenyan communities we have provided water and irrigation for crops. Through training and capacity building we have managed to provide food security and even income to a Masai village in Ewasso, and we are almost ready to do the same in a Masai village at the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Water is the key to the hunger crisis and while we were in Turkana we met with local planning offices and officials to discuss targeting yet another community with a deep water well and irrigation project.

Through actively working on food security solutions, Operation Blessing is confident that we can move communities away from needing emergency food relief, and even beyond that, we have seen how communities like Ewasso can grow a surplus of food to earn an income. But while we develop our food security programs we still need to be there for those that are starving in the Horn of Africa and that is why we need your support in helping us continue to provide relief in Kenya and beyond.

MEDAN BELIZE, Haiti – The rainy season has officially started in Haiti, and while the rains are needed for crop production, for many people the season spells trouble. Last year flooding from heavy rain spread cholera, resulting in the tragic death of thousands of Haitians. Operation Blessing played a major part in bringing the cholera outbreak under control in the Artibonite region through the provision of clean water.

Now Haiti is bracing for a resurgence of cholera and Operation Blessing is ready to respond with emergency water systems and disinfecting chlorine solution if needed. The rainy season will also bring misery to those still living in tent camps since the earthquake. Operation Blessing continues to operate 35 water purification systems to provide displaced families with safe water despite their unsafe surroundings.

For the villagers of Medan Belize, the rainy season is seen as a nuisance; the rain erodes their mud homes and leaks through their thatch roofs. But Operation Blessing is helping the villagers keep dry and make the most out of the rain. We distributed metal roofing materials to all 72 families in the village which will allow them to cover their homes and harvest the rain for drinking water.

Without the harvested rain water, the villagers would need to make a four-mile trek to collect water from a well. Operation Blessing distributed Lifesaver jerrycans to each family in the village, the jerrycans allow the families to filter the rainwater before drinking; it’s safe and effective and is making a huge difference.

As I write this a huge thunderstorm is raging outside and it’s pouring down rain. But tonight families in Medan Belize will be hearing these raindrops beating against their new metal roofs instead of leaking through the thatch and tomorrow they will have safe clean water to drink.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – It’s Mother’s Day in Haiti, and for the kids at the Zanmi Beni Children’s Home it’s a time to celebrate and say thank you to all the staff “moms.” All of the children at Zanmi Beni are either orphans or were abandoned at birth, so it is the female staff members here that have developed special bonds with the children and shown them motherly love all year long. It is so evident when you hear the children calling out “Mama!” that the kids and staff at Zanmi Beni are one big family.

It was a special day for the Operation Blessing team since it was the first time the new dining room and kitchen had been used. Last year’s Mother’s Day celebrations were held under a mango tree. This year, after continual improvements and construction at Zanmi Beni, the party was held in a beautiful new building on the campus.

It was also great to reflect on how far along the children have come. Little Natasha was a tiny infant last year, just a few months old, today she was sitting in a high chair with pink ribbons in her hair. Thanks to the hard working physical therapists, some of the children who were sitting in wheelchairs last year were on their feet and dancing with “Mama Loune” today.

As the “moms” were served a big Mother’s Day feast, the kids put on headbands that read “Happy Mother’s Day.” Music was playing and children were dancing, singing, and hugging the staff. Soon all these children will be able to move into the new dormitory building, which is just days away from completion.

The Zanmi Beni campus continues to expand and improve and the children are flourishing. It was clear today that the Zanmi Beni “family” is growing closer and that on Mother’s Day these beautiful children get to feel true motherly love.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there from the Operation Blessing Haiti team.

Many in the city of Shiogama, Japan are still living in shelters after the earthquake and tsunami. Along with much needed relief supplies like food and kerosene, Operation Blessing brought toys for the children of the shelter to enjoy.

SHIOGAMA, Japan – Today we were back in the city of Shiogama, the city we first visited after the tsunami. Last week we came with a van load of supplies. Today, we had a van and two trucks loaded with rice, thermal underwear, hygiene supplies and kerosene. We saw some familiar faces—city workers we had met last week. They were happy to see that OB had returned with the supplies they had requested.

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In the main gymnasium quite a few families had been able to return to their homes but hundreds are still sleeping on the floor, unsure of how long they will be homeless. For the first time since the disaster, Don Thomson and I had time to catch a breath and talk to some of the families in one of the shelters we are serving.

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One family that stood out were the Matsumotos. The two little twin boys Kashin and Mihaya are three years old and were running around the gymnasium playing.

We spoke to Mr. Matsumoto who told us that the first floor of his house was completely inundated with mud from the tsunami. They lost most of their belongings and will never be able to live there again. He seemed slightly lost as he explained that he had no idea how long his family (six members including his wife, grandmother and three children) would need to live in the shelter. He was thankful to Operation Blessing for bringing food and water supplies and said that they felt well cared for under the circumstances.

The OB team also took some toys with us to Shiogama and the twins went loopy when they saw the yo-yos, soccer balls and flying helicopters we gave them.

Don’s neighbor in Tokyo is a business owner named Mr. Sakura. He joined us for the distribution and has been very helpful to OB in supplying vehicles and fuel. Before he left Tokyo he gathered some things he thought would be helpful to the victims. As we were unloading the trucks I saw his assistant gather up a large bundle of umbrellas. Even the simplest thing like an umbrella can be an asset to a family that lost everything.

As we drove back through the city we were surprised at how much debris they have been able to clean up in one week, but evidence of the tsunami is still everywhere to be seen. We walked through a former neighborhood near the harbor. The only thing left of many of the houses is just the concrete slab they once stood on. Reminders of the decimated fishing community littered the landscape; outboard motors half submerged in mud, a broken fishing reel and nets cast half way up telephone poles.

Tomorrow morning we have two large trucks arriving packed with bottled water, and we are picking up more rice directly from our local farmer connection. Thank you to everyone who has partnered with Operation Blessing— we are getting supplies into the hardest hit areas!

More to come,
David

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ISHINOMAKI, Japan – The word tsunami is made up of two Japanese words: “tsu” meaning harbor and “nami” meaning wave. Today I stood at the harbor in the city of Ishinomaki and saw where the giant “nami” hauled a ship up onto dry land and smashed buildings and homes in its path. As the Operation Blessing team continues to deliver vital relief supplies in the hardest hit areas, the extent of the destruction is still being uncovered.

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Hundreds of thousands of displaced tsunami victims are facing a second week in cold shelters with limited supplies, and it seems that it could be many months before they are moved into temporary housing.

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Last week, the OB team scouted towns and shelters in need of assistance. As we went into the disaster zone, we took with us as many supplies as we could pack in our van. Despite having limited resources available, OB managed to serve 2,500 displaced Japanese with essential food, water and fuel supplies.

Now we are moving in with trucks and the name of the game is “volume.”

Today we delivered four tons of very specific urgent supplies to shelters in the city of Ishinomaki. The supplies included, rice, water, bread, fruit, warm clothing, cooking stoves, candles and other canned food.

A local team of volunteers set up in a tent, cooking hot meals to be delivered to several shelters. There are 200 shelters in Ishinomaki alone housing around 15,000 people. At one location, the Japanese military helped us unload boxes, which was welcome help in the bitter cold weather.

We also visited the general hospital in Ishinomaki. There were patients streaming in and out, and even the hallways were lined with beds. Many tsunami victims lost their medicines in the disaster and while the overall medical emergency is stable, there has been a spike in patients with difficulties from untreated chronic illnesses. In the basement of the hospital we unloaded food and hygiene supplies to help serve some of the 500 patients and hundreds of staff members.

After we had distributed our supplies, we headed inland to have a meeting with a rice farmers association. It’s almost impossible to find food in the stores at the moment in the disaster area. Rice is in huge demand and in order to find it, the only place left to go was to the rice farmers themselves. As we left Ishinomaki, I peered down into one rice field and noticed rotting fish everywhere—left behind by the tsunami waters. The rice fields went on for miles and miles. The disaster area also happens to be one of the most fertile rice growing plains in Japan.

We met with a farmer and his wife, Mr. and Mrs. Abe. They told us that due to the fuel crisis and interruption in the distribution chain they had rice available for purchase. This was huge news and we immediately secured 1.5 tons. Mr. Abe grabbed one of the 11-pound bags of rice to show us and it had a drawing of his family on the front, including him with his trademark glasses. Now that OB has established a regular supply chain, we can begin feeding thousands of displaced Japanese in shelters every day.

Tomorrow we are going back to the city of Shiogama to distribute supplies specifically requested of OB by the city mayor. He told us that people were desperate for clothing, particularly underwear and socks, since many had lost all of their clothing in the disaster. OB purchased hundreds of pairs of men and women’s underwear and socks. We are also delivering the first truckload of rice to Shiogama—the timing of which is good because today we heard reports of some parts of the city getting very desperate for food. In the meantime, we also have four large truckloads of bottled water headed north for delivery to Shiogama and other hard hit towns.

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OTSUCHI, Japan – Today we did a relief distribution in a shelter in the town of Otsuchi where 1,000 displaced families are living. Half of the town’s 17,000 residents are “still missing.”

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We purchased kerosene (like liquid gold at the moment) and torpedo heaters to keep the survivors warm in these freezing temperatures. Other goods we supplied were batteries for flashlights, gas cooking stoves, food, water and hygiene supplies including feminine hygiene products and toilet paper.

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We have been given exceptional favor with the Japanese military and police, and today we were led up a narrow mountain pass by a police car. It was the only way to access the shelter since the main road into the town is still submerged under the debris field.

More to come,
David

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