To Parents and Teachers

Aim of this program, "Miya-san Project"

Miyakejima volcanic disasters continue from June, 2000, and now in progress. Not only volcanic stones but also volcanic gases have been attacking Miyakejima island in extremely large quantity. We have never seen these serious disasters in this century in Japan.

The urgent volcano information was announced on June 27. People in Miyakejima island took refuges due to the refuge recommendation repeatedly. While the period, they could not do their work at all but they must do larbor of removing volcanic powders and cleaning up their house and so on.

On the other hand, no sightseer came to Miyakejima island in summer, the tourist season, though people earn their living by the sightseeing jobs.
On August 29, Volcano Oyama in Miyakejima island erupted again and then poisonous gas attcked people. Children, including students in Promary school and Junior highschool, took refuge in a group as soon as possible and then left Miyakejima island to go to Akigawa Highschool in Tokyo.
In addition, almost all people escaped from the island to land Tokyo until September 4, except for Governers and so on.

The refuge life seems endless, because of no evidence for the eruption stop. People dispersed in Tokyo. Most of the children continue to live in a group in the school. They lives for two months in Akigawa.
Now! What can we do to help for the people! We are only outsiders! Maybe lack is not goods or materials but is the mental care for them However, only the expert can support the people in refuges. How can we do it!

On the other hand, we have some disasters, such as the flood in Tokai area and the earthquake in Tottori. Hence, we sometimes watch the illusion of the eruption ceasing in Miyakejima, because we are forgetting the Miyakejima disaster. Even the Miyakejima people feel that they have been forgotten by Japanese people. What is the best way to remove the gap between us and the Miyakejima people without troubling them?

One of them is the support of information, which is the network technology. By using the information tool we can inform the Miyakejima people of the fact that many people feel anxious of them. We are sure that they know our anxiety so that they calm down. Our attempt that Xmas cards are received through Internet is easy to do without any trouble with Miyakejima people. Feartures of this program are

1. we and they feel the network based on "the heart" without any exchange of goods each other.
2. we provide the happy topic to them.
3. the volanteer labors can be dispersed in the world without pay of money and so on.
4. the load is expected not so much even if extremely many people take part in this program, sending Xmas message to Miyakejima children.

We hope, we give chldren happy topics so that they recover their spirits and then grownups get spirits from them.

On the other hand, since the Usuzan Eruption still continue with low activity, the children in Abuta town near Volcano Usu have been taking refuge. But, they have never forgotten the message send from a student in Shimabara near Volcano Unzen, who also got the volcanic disaster ten years ago;

"Please write 'don't erupt!' in July wish"

The Usu children also begin to wish some support to Miyakejima ones. From Shimabara to Usu, and Usu to Miyakejima, the network of the children will be connected! We must help them to do the linkage of warming hearts.

As the Miyakejima people know that the volcano researchers have been observing Volcano Oyama in Miyakejima island eagerly without their hope of sleep and eat and the governers are always very busy, they have never complained. However, they lost their life in the island,then dispersed apartly in the metropolitan city, and they live with the lost of the hope for the future.

But! Some child from Miyakejima island wrote the message in the network board;

"Gradually I became to feel cold and the season surely change. For 2 months living here, I got used in Akigawa's life and then I can recove my mind. I am now very thankful for receiving the support from many people. I cannot do any thing now, but I wish to do something for the people in the future."

Surely, we feel the warming heart of the Miyakejima children. We are surprized at the words and the existence itself of such a child who have never lost his hope for the future. From the Usu children to Miyakejima children......

We owe our duty the exchangement of messages from the children, who experienced the simiar disasters but in the different place.
We must include the above-mentioned idea in this program, called "the Miya-san Project," and then we should start it so that the dreams of the children must come true.

(October 13, 2000: USUZAN-NET)