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Winds Japan 2-11-5 Sakurashinmachi, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 154-0015 Japan Telephone: +81-3-5451-5400 Facsimilie: +81-3-5451-5401 www.peace-winds.org meet@peace-winds.org |
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| Top Message from chairperson Summary of 2004 Iraq Mongolia Indonesia East Timor Sierra Leone Liberia Afghanistan Iran Nigata Strengthening Ourselves and Our Civil Society Major Activities in FY2004 Organizational Time Line Organizational Structure Financial Statement PWJ English Top |
Liberia In
Liberia, civil strife had long continued, and people had fled their homeland and
sought refuge in the neighboring countries. Peace Winds Japan (PWJ) has provided
emergency relief to these people since 2001 by managing two refugee camps in neighboring
Sierra Leone. However, in response to the repatriation of the refugees, it also
began relief activities in Liberia itself.In August 2003, a peace treaty was concluded between the Liberian Government and the anti-government forces, and the civil war was finally brought to an end. With the activities of the United Nations Peace Keeping Organizations (PKO), following the peace treaty, opportunities for the Liberian refugees and internally displaced Liberians to return to their homes improved. As PWJ already had a connection with Liberia through the assistance PWJ has provided to the Liberian refugees in Sierra Leone, it embarked in March 2004 on a support project in Liberia itself. This is the second location in Africa of PWJ activity. In Lofa County, in the northwestern region of Liberia where 90% of the population had no choice but to evacuate, catastrophic destruction had occurred in most of the villages during the 14 year-long war. PWJ decided to establish its project in this region after carrying out three local investigations. The project aimed to facilitate the return of the refugees and the people internally displaced from Lofa, and to reconstruct the region as quickly as possible.  In early
April 2004, construction of PWJ's office in Voinjama, the capital of Lofa County,
began. PWJ set out to give assistance for the construction of houses, toilets
and wells, and for the rebuilding of schools. In order to rebuild the community
destroyed by the war, PWJ established a home re-building committee consisting
of the village chief, female leaders, and leaders from younger generations. Prior
to the starting of aid work, these residents initiated research into issues such
as repatriation conditions, the structure of each family, and the landownership
situation. For the construction of the houses, the residents themselves procured
timbers for the frames, whilst building tools such as axes, shovels, and wheelbarrows,
as well as zinc sheets for roofs were supplied by PWJ. Similarly, in the construction
of wells and toilets, the villagers obtained the necessary materials, such as
sand and gravel, on their own, and cooperated in the digging of holes, whilst
PWJ provided cement, which is difficult to obtain. Holding responsibility for
this work and helping one another in the construction activities strengthened
the residents' awareness of themselves as members of the community.In 2005, while continuing its project in Lofa County, PWJ plans to establish an additional office in Foya, a city situated close to the Sierra Leonean border. This office will start a house reconstruction program in the region, as well as building and managing a transit center (temporary accommodation center) for the Liberian returnees. |
