Doha: On behalf of Qatari Ambassador to Japan, Yousef Bilal, the Second Secretary at Qatar’s embassy, Hassan Al Hemaidi, received last week a selection of hand-picked vegetables in Kesennuma.
The vegetables were grown by families living in temporary shelters under a project aimed at restoring hope among local communities affected by the earthquake and tsunami in 2011.
Participants in the project joined the harvest festival in Kesennuma city.
Having fulfilled its objective of bringing these families closer, Qatar Friendship Friend’s (QFF) $500,000 Eco Foods project has continued to offer workshops on vegetable cultivation, sales, and marketing to those affected by the disaster. Having seen how the project has provided a source of inspiration to almost 50,000 people, Al Hemaidi, spoke of its wider significance for Japan:
“The Eco Foods Project is part of QFF to bring hope to Kesennuma, after the devastation.
“Today, we celebrate the autumn harvest and enjoy the fruits of the initiative. We also rejoice in local families growing closer and stronger following the tragedy.
“QFF is helping create a brighter future across the region. You are an essential part of that future, and so are the families of this beautiful city. Communities are the fabric that bind societies together and keep nations moving forward. I come here to congratulate all farmers and encourage you to share your hope with the world.”
The project has installed cultivation planters in 400 locations, with solar power generators at 40 of the shared vegetable allotments. With four out of five households in the region reliant on fishing industries prior to the disaster, participants were also congratulated on the way they responded to the alternative income opportunity while vital fishing infrastructure was being rebuilt.
A short video speech by QFF Goodwill Ambassador Tetsuya Bessho, was also held. The audience included the Mayor of Kesennuma, Shigeru Sugawara, and Eco Foods Director, Masashi Kubo.
A reception dinner was hosted, with food from vegetable growers.
The Eco Foods project is one of 11 initiatives of QFF as part of its commitment to support the rebuilding of critical infrastructure and supply chains in Japan and assist the communities that have given the Tohoku region its diversity and strength.
It is part of a combined $100m gift from Qatar to Japan and has benefitted over 365,000 people directly.
The Peninsula
