• 
• 
• 
• 

1. Background

On March 14, 2011, the JRCS had the first teleconference with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) after the disaster. The JRCS reported on the situation of the affected areas, the activities of the Japanese Government and the JRCS and discussed what kind of support the IFRC could provide. In the course of the discussion, it was revealed that the donation from the Partner National Societies (PNSs) overseas had reached JPY 30 billion. As the overseas donation collected in the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake in 1995 was approximately JPY 1 billion, this amount was far larger than ever before.
The donation sent from each PNS should be used for purchasing the equipment and materials necessary for the disaster relief activities implemented by the JRCS as well as for the direct costs of the other relief activities, in accordance with the "Principles and Rules for Red Cross and Red Crescent Disaster Relief”. However, in order to make maximum use of the huge sum of donation from overseas collected on this occasion, it was required to appropriately assess the needs of the three affected prefectures (Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima) and to develop an efficient large-scale assistance programme in addition to the traditional individual projects.
The scheme for assessing the needs in the affected areas and reflecting them in the projects was the very first attempt for the JRCS.
As a first step, from March 21, the JRCS  made visits to the Governors of Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima, explained them that JRCS was ready to provide recovery assistance programmes utilizing the donation received from the PNSs overseas, and introduced, as examples of such assistance programmes, its provision of electrical household appliances for temporary housing as well as donation of vehicles needed for field activities.
The visits were aimed to exchange opinions and coordinate with the governments, however as the situation was still very confused while the Prefectures were trying to assess the damage, there were no specific requests or remarks from them at that point.

Organisational regime of the recovery assistance programmes on 11 March 2011.©JRCS

2. Establishment of a special team for the overseas donation and development of an overall proposal for the recovery assistance programme

On March 28, a special team for responding to the donation from overseas was established in the Headquarters of Disaster Management (HDM) at the JRCS National Headquarters. In the afternoon of the same day, the provision of electrical household appliances to the people evacuated to temporary housing was decided as an assistance programme funded by the overseas donation in the meeting of the Executive Director General. The electrical household appliances package was composed of 6 electrical household appliances; a refrigerator, a TV set, a washing machine, a microwave oven, a rice cooker and an electric hot water dispenser.

Through its Chapters, the JRCS offered the local governors of the affected prefectures the donation of the electrical household appliances packages for temporary housing, and with their willing consent the JRCS started the project.
Early in April, the members of the special team were deployed in turns to the three affected prefectures with the aim of on-site coordination and needs assessment for the project for the donation of the electrical household appliances packages.
Based on the needs assessment conducted by the dispatched team members, an assistance programme plan with a budget of JPY 30 billion was finalized on April 22 as a “Draft proposal for an overall plan for the GEJET relief and recovery project (financed by donation from overseas)”.
The contents of the draft proposal were as follows.

Figure 4-1 (Draft) Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief and Recovery Plan（financed by donation from overseas)

3. Establishment of a Promotion Committee for the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami (GEJET) Recovery Assistance programmes

The JRCS established a “Promotion Committee for the GEJET Recovery Assistance programmes” in its National Headquarters to discuss and determine the details of the recovery assistance programmes financed by the donation collected through the PNSs overseas and others. Since its establishment, a total of 13 meetings were held until the end of December 2012.
Based on the guidelines for the Establishment of the council for the GEJET Recovery Assistance Programmes, the JRCS established the “GEJET Recovery Task Force” in its Disaster Management and Social Welfare Department of the Operation Sector on May 1, 2011, with the aim of addressing the GEJET recovery assistance programmes in an intensive and comprehensive manner.

4. Organisational structure of the GEJET Recovery Task Force

The GEJET Task Force is a self-contained organization with a certain amount of authority to implement the project. Regarding the responsible persons inside the Task Force, the experience and original posts of each staff member were taken into consideration.
In establishing the Task Force, the “Guidelines for Establishing the GEJET Recovery Task Force”, which described its aims and activities, was formulated.
According to the guidelines, the Task Force should have the aim of addressing, in an intensive and comprehensive manner, the GEJET recovery assistance program financed by the donation from overseas collected through overseas Red Cross Societies and other organizations, etc. 

5. Holding the Partnership Meeting for GEJET

a. The Red Cross and Red Crescent Partnership Meeting for the GEJET in May 2011

In the middle of April 2011, it was decided to organise the Red Cross and Red Crescent Partnership Meeting for the GEJET on May 9. Following this decision, the special team for the overseas donation formulated the basic policy as an overall plan for recovery, the target fields and actual projects to be supported, and the method of providing financial report.

On May 9, 2011, the meeting was held at the JRCS National Headquarters in Tokyo. The main purpose of the meeting was that Partner National Societies (PNSs) of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement around the world, who had transferred "donation" to the JRCS in order to support its activities for the disaster recovery, could get together to discuss the use of the donation from overseas, which was expected to reach a total amount of over JPY 30 billion.
A total of 43 representatives from the PNSs (including 18 PNSs such as the United States, Australia, Austria, the United Kingdom, Canada and China, etc.), the IFRC, the ICRC, Embassies and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of Japan participated in the meeting in addition to the 19 executives from the JRCS, including the President and the Vice-President.

Meeting with the PNSs supporting the GEJET relief and recovery ©JRCS

< Purpose of the meeting >

• ・To achieve consensus on the objectives, the period and the outline of the recovery assistance programmes 
• ・To confirm the roles that the JRCS should play in the disaster recovery activities
• ・To report and confirm the emergency relief that the JRCS implemented
• ・To discuss the JRCS’s action plan from the early phase to the midterm of the recovery support
• ・To conclude an agreement on support from the PNSs for the future

Prior to the meeting, a minute of silence was offered for the victims of this great disaster. The President of the JRCS stated in the opening speech that “the support from our PNSs around the world has touched our hearts, and we have reaffirmed the spirit of “togetherness” at the core of Red Cross activities”.
In the meeting, the JRCS presented to the PNSs the planning for the projects that JRCS would develop with the use of donation from overseas, and it obtained unanimous agreement. In addition, it was agreed that the funds should not be earmarked in principle.

The outline of the GEJET Relief and Recovery Plan and the main projects agreed were as follows.
(The total budget was approximately JPY 30 billion at this stage.)

Figure 4-2 Outline of the GEJET Relief and Recovery Plan

Basic Approach
1. Utilizing the funds efficiently in implementing rapid response 2. Seeking fairness in delivering assistance to the wide areas 3. Providing special attention to the vulnerable people including the elderly and children those who require care, etc. 4. Implementing assistance in conformity with national and/or prefectural, municipal support plans. 5. Ensuring accountability to the domestic donors, PNSs, media, etc.
Objectives
1. Rebuilding lives of affected people ・Improving the living conditions in evacuation centres where prolonged stay is expected. ・Assisting a smooth shift into temporary housing and rebuilding of lives. ・Rehabilitating social welfare service in affected areas. ・Providing educational support for children. 2. Strengthening the JRCS’s disaster response capacity ・Procurement of special vehicles for IT/communcation, water supply, food supply, and temporary showers, etc.
Major Initiatives
1. Improvement of living conditions of evacuation centres and temporary housing, including installation of sanitation facilities and electric appliances. 2. Provision of electric household appliances 3. Provision of vehicles for social welfare institutions 4. Provision of nursing beds 5. Children’s education support 6. Capacity building of the JRCS’s national disaster response

Main projects agreed

Regarding the finance, the basic policy, a reporting format and a schedule were reported.
Following the meeting, the delegation of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement from the participants made a field visit to Ishinomaki Red Cross Hospital and evacuation centers (in Ishinomaki City, Miyagi) on May 10, and to an evacuation center (Takata Daiichi Junior High School in Rikuzen-Takata City, Iwate) and temporary housing on May 11.

Participants of the Partnership Meeting in May 2011 © JRCS

b. The "Monitoring visit by the Partner National Societies of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement supporting the GEJET relief and recovery" in October-November 2011

c. The "Second Red Cross and Red Crescent Partnership Meeting for the GEJET relief and recovery" in May 2012