Policy & Nation Development

Dr Suda is a survivor of the Tsunami. At the age of 70 years old, he is still a dentist and is determined to re-open his dental clinic. Dr Suda did re-open his clinic 2 months after the Tsunami, and his determination did spark off other stores in the area to do so. Come listen to his experience in the past 1 year, post Tsunami.

Billions of dollars were pledged and a significant percentage of that has been spent in Haiti's disaster recovery related processes. But how much of that has made it to the people? With even the most conservative estimates, the money actually destined for Haiti should be enough to provide for at least 6 months or a year of income for the entire population in Haiti. A population that could be actively involved in the reconstruction of Port-au-Prince and restoration of the National economy instead of being systematically sidelined and excluded from the recovery process.

It was an honor to host a Relief 2.0 workshop on board Peace Boat, an organization that has been key in mobilizing a continuous flow of volunteers and placing them at the service of the people of Tohoku, not displacing them but enabling them to more themselves with their strength and support, not making choices for them, but serving them in whatever task or manner the local people and organizations choose and decide.

I have often been asked what do I think of the Japanese and Chilean governments refusal to accept foreign assistance after the 2011 and 2010 earthquakes that affected extended areas and disrupted the lives of thousands of people in both countries. Having lived in Chile and Japan and having spent significant time in the field as part of relief operations of disaster areas as disparate as Japan, Dominican Republic and Haiti, I can probably provide some light on this question from a very generic and global perspective and at the same time very practical one.

Our friend Kaori Brand and United Nations University have shared this inspirational video of the role of business and community together in the sustainable recovery process of Japan.

Our fourth mission to Tohoku focuses in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture and is done in support of the Women Help Women initiative launched by the Global Summit of Women and lead by a group of Korean and Japanese business women.