SENRI-group Care home MEGUMI

Our first home care center – Megumi – commenced operations in July 2008 in Tsuya, Motoyoshi town, Kensennuma City. We provide support to people with disability with the aim of helping them live independently.
Rapidly increasing local needs soon overwhelmed the center’s 7-bed capacity. As a result, we leased and refurbished a building in the region in order to open the second home care center – Megumi Nakajima – where occupants would enjoy privacy in gender-based living quarters.
Megumi Nakajima was supposed to receive the Government’s permit to operate on 17 March 2011 when it was struck by the earthquake. The tsunami has swept away almost everything and left the town with immeasurable damage. Our second home care center was completely destroyed. The several strawberry gardens (totaling 885m2) where disabled people and local residents had been working on were also lost in the tsunami’s destructive path.
Our organization has lost ¥16 million in construction costs for the home care centers, facilities in the strawberry gardens, as well as other related expenses.
Although our survival is being threatened by the huge debts, we are determined to rebuild our home care centers and continue to provide support for people with disabilities.
We would truly appreciate your understanding of our circumstances and your response to all call for help.


2011.10.27 Planning to rebuild the care center in the new year.

We are planning to rebuild the care center for the disabled in 2012, which was destroyed by the Tsunami. It will be rebuilt under Miyagi prefecture’s project called facilities for the disabled maintenance plan. However, the subsidy of the project is not enough to rebuild, so we are looking for an organization that helps us to fill a deficit.
We were confronted with some problems after the disaster and realized we had to consider a lack of transportation and caretakers for the disabled.
8 Months after the disaster we can see the prospects for rebuilding the facility. Representative Mr. Moriya, although he was having a tough time just after the disaster; said, “We are sure to reopen our facility as long as the community needs us.”
It is very important to continue our activities and to accept needs from community for restoration.

Click here to SENRI-KAI’s Blog (Japanese only)


2011.09.28　On the receiving end of support

SENRI-KAI received a grant from The Nippon Foundation and Association for Aid and Relief in Japan. With this we started with temporary daytime support for children with disabilities at the prefabricated building on the site since August.
We operate on Saturdays and Sundays, around 10 children from south of KESENNUMA, MOTOYOSHI and MINAMI-SANRIKU receive support.
Our building is also used as accommodation for people from the association of developmental disorders in Tokyo.

【Our building where we support children with disabilities】

Although building a new care home will be started as soon as we decide on a location, we already have a new plan to start transportation services for the disabled, which is needed and desired by the community.
Ms Sugawara, the service manager, said, “We might have been conceited by being on the giving end. Now, being supported, we realized how grateful it is to be helped. We will try to be modest and move forward from now on.”
SENEI-KAI will follow the road to restoration by engaging in supporting the community.

【Staff and users of SENRI-KAI care home MEGUMI】

SENRI-KAI has been supported by many volunteers and Japanese Self-Defense Forces. All our updates are on our blog.


2011.07.14 Looking after disabled children at the prefab during summer holidays.

SENRI-Group lost new care-home for disabled people, which was about to open just before Tsunami.
They are planning to build it again but there is no available area yet to construct in KESENNUMA, thus it is on hold now.
However, there was no temporary support for the disabled during daytime in this area, we plan to provide support at the prefab from August.


※Planning to build a prefab in the foreground

“Thanks to a great support from many people, we are very grateful and have become positive.”
The manager of Care-home MEGUMI, Ms. Mitsuko Sugawara said.


※A lot of photos and letters from supporters


2011.07.06 Starting with a prefab.

Bridges and roads are finally reconstructed in June.
However, the area where our facilities were is designated as off-limits area now. Therefore, they can not even discuss how to use those properties.
“We never give up on SENRI-Group, although we are lack of funds and lost facilities.
We will build new facilities as long as there is a need for disabled people. This operation has no end.”
The director, Mr. Moriya said. He has already taken an action for restoration with his strong will.
Care-home MEGUMI is planning to set up a prefab in preparation for the summer holidays.
Their plan is not to look after disabled children within the living area of Care-home MEGUMI Tsuyauchi but to provide dedicated place for them.
If anyone agrees to cooperate with us, it would be very appreciated.