Six children who lived through the largest nuclear accident since Chernobyl are on their way to Oahu for play and respite after a longer stop on Hawaii island.
The children, who were affected by the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, landed on Hawaii island June 24 and will visit Oahu from Aug. 16 to 20. They are participants in a new volunteer effort called Hearts for Fukushima Kids.
The initiative was started by Fukushima resident Marian Moriguchi, who was born and raised on Oahu, in response to continuing concerns about the impact of the nuclear accident on the children where she lives.
"The road is really long to recovery," said Moriguchi, who along with her Japanese husband, Kenji, lives about 38 miles from the nuclear power plant. "They are still doing decontamination."
The couple had to evacuate their home briefly in the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake, which devastated the country March 11, 2011. While they were able to return home fairly quickly, they soon discovered that life was forever changed for them and for other Fukushima residents, some of whom had lost homes and loved ones.
More than two years later, Moriguchi estimates that hundreds of thousands of Fukushima residents still live in temporary housing. Many residents also are afraid to drink their city’s water or eat the food.
Moriguchi, who has assisted with "Rainbow Kids for Japan" and other humanitarian efforts following the disaster, worked with groups and individuals in Hilo, Kona and Honolulu to create Hearts for Fukushima Kids. This goal is to provide Fukushima’s most vulnerable children about a month of respite.
"We want the children to be able to spend their summer vacation outdoors and to breathe the clean, fresh air of the Hawaiian Islands, as well as provide such educational opportunities in which they will be able to learn, grow, play with the children of Hawaii and experience its aloha spirit," she said.
On Hawaii island the children will get a tour of the kitchen at a McDonald’s, visit the volcano, take yoga and cooking lessons, and play with other children. On Oahu, Moriguchi said, the children will have a chance to swim at Ko Olina, go camping, visit the Tendai Mission of Hawaii and make pareos in Waianae.
"Hawaii has been very generous," Moriguchi said.
Some of her local sponsors include Ikuko "Kay" Kurata, owner of Hawaii-Makoa B&B, Vicki Nelson of Puna Kamali‘i Flowers, Honolulu Fukushima Kenjin-kai, and Frankie Lucketti and Chiemi Ota of Club Casa Della Dolce Vita.
However, Moriguchi’s most generous sponsors have been Yumi Kikuchi and Gen Morita, who relocated from Japan to Kona after the earthquake and nuclear disaster. The couple held concerts, gave speeches and held fundraisers to bring in about $8,000 for her cause.
"I want every child to be safe and healthy like mine and live a long life, and I want them to know that people here care," Kikuchi said. "I think conditions in Fukushima are much worse than people think. Rainbow for Japan Kids was great, but Marian and I feel that the children in Fukushima need to spend a longer time in Hawaii where they can breathe fresh air."
Even as recently as July, Kikuchi said mothers were alarmed by reports from Fukushima Medical University that 12 children were confirmed to have tested positive for thyroid cancer, and 15 were deemed high-risk for developing the cancer.
"While we can’t attribute everything to radiation, it’s a disturbing number," she said.
In the wake of the uncertainty, many children have been forbidden to play outside for long, Moriguchi said.
"Most parents are concerned about radiation, so they won’t let their children play outside for more than 30 minutes to an hour," she said. "On weekends some parents try to drive about 30 or 50 miles outside of Fukushima so their children can play outside and breathe fresh air. However, sometimes they aren’t warmly received because people in these other areas wrongly think that interacting with the children will pose health risks to them."
Kikuchi and Morita, who studied alternative medicine under Dr. Ryosuke Uryu in Tokyo, are delighted to welcome the first Hearts for Fukushima Kids group at their Kona-based Harmonics Life Center, where they grow vegetables, fruits and rice and work to promote health for individuals and for the earth.
"I want the children to play outside freely without any fear — that’s how we grew up. Freedom is important," said Kikuchi, who has future plans to establish a house in Hawaii where larger numbers of people from Fukushima can recuperate.
While Moriguchi has most of the expenses for this first trip covered, she is still looking for a sponsor to pay for a dinner for 10 in Waikiki on Aug. 17. She also wants to find additional sponsors for future trips.
"Our plan is to keep bringing children over until it isn’t necessary anymore," Moriguchi said. "Unfortunately, I think that will be a long time from now."
For more information about Hearts for Fukushima Kids, email Moriguchi at marianmoriguchi@gmail.com.
