Greetings Howard and David,
After returning from Japan with Shelterbox, I have been contacted by a team of kiwi's (lead by Jon Doherty) that have come up with a concept called time out in NZ for Japanese students needing 'time out" from the devastation and trauma of there recent 'big event', can I ask if this forwarded information could be circulated through our fantastic network..media courage is building and there is support form the Government and some serious corporate movers and shakers.
Hope you are both well,
Yours in Rotary, Lyndon Tamblyn Rotary Club of Marton SRT Shelterbox.
Time out in NZ
A Facebook status update led to a student's escape from Japan.
Tokyo 13-year-old Haruka Higo was on Facebook lamenting about her friends having fled the country when a former teacher now based in New Zealand saw her status.
Haruka was offered a temporary place to stay to escape danger from the nearby Fukushima nuclear plant and her parents quickly agreed.
She was in New Zealand some 48 hours later and preparing to start school at Takapuna Grammar.
Haruka is staying with North Shore man Jon Doherty and his family who have since set up a website to help others flee the country.
Haruka is staying with North Shore man Jon Doherty and his family who have since set up a website to help others flee the country. Rangitoto College and Takapuna Grammar were the first to sign up to Time Out in NZ where Kiwi families can register as hosts. The website has the support of the New Zealand consulate in Japan. Haruka is scheduled to return to Tokyo this month but plans could change if the situation hasn't cleared up.
Not that she minds – she's having fun and has made lots of friends. Having been schooled at an English-speaking international school in Tokyo means settling into a different culture is less of a challenge. "It's really different, my school's really strict on homework and we normally get piles of it. "I'm still getting homework from my school over the internet."
Most of the students at her school were foreign expats and a lot have returned to their countries for good. Haruka likes the idea of living in New Zealand long-term but knows her parents must stay in Japan to care for her grandparents.
"If I could, I would stay here, it's fun. But I miss my friends in Tokyo."
Visit www.timeoutinnz.org.nz for more information or to sign up as a host.
