On Friday March 11, 2011, one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded in Japan’s history slammed its eastern coast. The massive 9.0 earthquake triggered a 30-foot tsunami wiping out coastal villages and paralyzing Sendai, a city of one million inhabitants. Compounded by warnings of a looming nuclear disaster, hundreds of thousands of residents of the region were sheltered in local schools, community centers and other makeshift shelters. With water, food and warm clothing in short supply, the survivors shared what little resources they had.

Upon learning of the disaster, Virtue Foundation sent emergency relief supplies and volunteer support to one of the hardest hit regions in Japan. The VF volunteer distributed the critically needed supplies and assisted in the initial emergency response. Virtue Foundation has also conferred with local prefecture officials and government agency representatives to discuss how the Foundation can further assist with the relief and rebuilding efforts with a particular emphasis on helping the children survivors. The foundation is exploring various options to determine how to best assist in rebuilding the schools in the less economically advantaged coastal fishing villages devastated by the earthquake and its aftermath. To this end, Virtue Foundation is seeking to raise donations to help the survivors of this disaster rebuild their communities.