Japan Cricket Links With WESYM To Aid Disaster Recovery

Japan Cricket Links With WESYM To Aid Disaster Recovery

Recovery from the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan on March 11 2011 has only just begun. It will take many years for people to rebuild their lives and cities.

©Japan Cricket Asssociation

Recovery from the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan on March 11 2011 has only just begun. It will take many years for people to rebuild their lives and cities.

While people are facing many challenges which will take years to overcome, the need for help will remain strong. However, the awareness of such needs has declined as time has passed.

With an aim to retain awareness of the struggle and to generate support, the Japan Cricket Association (JCA) has joined hands with WESYM, a crowd funding service.

JCA CEO Naoki Alex Miyaji commented; “WESYM provides us with the ideal platform to raise awareness of the continued struggle and also generate support from around the world. Registration is easy and you can also login using an existing Facebook or Twitter account. It enables anyone, anytime, anywhere in the world, to take part in a great cause by our great sport.”

The Japan Cricket Association (JCA) set up “CRICKET FOR SMILES AID: 2011.3.11 Disaster” programme in 2011 and has since visited areas affected by the earthquake and tsunami over ten times. The programme, awarded the Best Spirit of Cricket Initiative at the 2011 Pepsi ICC Development Programme Awards and also commended by the Scottish Parliament in September 2012, aims to provide smiles, hope, and courage through cricket.

Many school children have been limited opportunities to participate in sport as their sport grounds are being used for temporary housing for those who have lost their homes. “CRICKET FOR SMILES AID: 2011.3.11 Disaster” provides such children a fun and inclusive sport experience by donating modified cricket equipment and teaching children and teachers how to play various games in their given environment.

"Cricket can be played anywhere. It can even be played in a tiny Japanese room! It is great to see the children having fun, but it is also amazing how it makes everyone else happy too. We would like to make more visits this year and extend our activities to organising festivals, tournaments and even invite teams to participate in National competitions. I’d like to thank Mr Shyam Bhatia who donated the cricket equipment which we have given to the schools and communities. We are also very grateful of the financial support from people especially in Japan and Shanghai which has enabled us to make over ten visits so far. However, we do need more support to keep the cause alive," Miyaji said.

[How to support “CRICKET FOR SMILES AID: 2011.3.11 Disaster”]

1.    Visit: http://wesym.com/project/profile?project_id=95
2.    Register your email address or login with your Facebook/Twitter account.
3.    Purchase SEEDs (1 SEED = 1 JPY). Credit cards (VISA, Master, JCB, or AMEX) are accepted.
4.    Donate your SEEDs to “CRICKET FOR SMILES AID: 2011.3.11 Disaster”.