With their oyster processing activities wiped out by the 2011 tsunami, a group of local women founded the Ofunato Area Women’s Coalition (OAWC) to generate income.
The JTI Foundation, in cooperation with Peace Winds Japan, helped them set up a temporary processing facility.

As many other local business and trades, Ofunato’s oyster farming businesses suffered as a result of the 2011 tsunami. Ships and equipment were damaged, and oyster crops were almost completely destroyed.

A group of women, whose husbands were oyster and other seafood farmers, and who were once to be active in the oyster processing business themselves, founded the Ofunato Area Women’s Coalition (OAWC) as a means to generating income.

At first, the women produced bracelets made from old fishing nets, successfully selling these via the Internet. However as local oyster farming remained challenging by an extremely slow recovery, the Coalition decided to set up a seafood processing business, raising incomes both for their families, and local fishermen. They achieved this with the aid of the Sanriku Toretate Market (STM), a local business selling seafood online.

Key numbers

OVER 20 YEARS OF INVESTMENT IN DISASTER MANAGEMENT INITIATIVES

45

Countries where we have supported our partners’ work in response to a growing range of threats to life and livelihood

50

Million USD invested since 2001 to help communities better prepare for – and recover from – natural and man-made disasters

100

Projects addressing a broad range of challenges, including mine-clearance, emergency shelter, resilient housing solutions and capacity building

Other projects

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The JTI Foundation works with some of the most renowned organizations in the fields of disaster risk management and disaster response. If you think you have a project that meets our criteria, please use this link to complete an application.

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Preparedness

We support measures that increase the preparedness of communities threatened by natural disasters. We assist in project design and implementation and promote risk awareness and community collaboration.

Response

We invest in partnerships that allow us to provide rapid and effective support to victims in the immediate aftermath of disasters, including droughts, earthquakes, floods, famines and armed conflicts.

Resilience

We promote projects that help communities recover from the impact of disasters and strengthen their resilience – rebuilding lives and livelihoods as quickly and sustainably as possible.

About us

Established in 2001, the JTI Foundation is a charitable organization registered under Swiss law and financially endowed by JT International SA.

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