How can I go to japan and help?

Question:

does anyone have any idea on how i could join up an organization (Red cross maybe?) and travel to japan to help?

Answer:

You have a good heart, but you can't really do this.

There are several reasons.

As I am sure you are aware, relief organizations are funded by donors. Donors expect that their money will be spent wisely. That means that where possible, expenses not related directly to helping survivors, have to be kept to a minimum. Flying untrained volunteers thousands of miles and spending money on their airfare is not a good use of money, when there are many local volunteers available. (Not all of Japan suffered damage, and they have a large and functional national Red Cross themselves.) Providing shelter and food to these people costs money, and strips scarce resources from the disaster survivors.

Inexperienced volunteers are often shocked at the living conditions they have to deal with. Limited water, no electricity, unfamiliar food in limited quantities, shared open showers, and hot, crowded volunteer shelters are the norm. It's one thing to say that you can deal with them while sitting at home, but a very different thing to endure them when working 12-16 hour days and sharing them with dozens of people you don't know. Disaster scenes are much more complicated than everyday life. Resources you take for granted (like electricity--see above) while doing your job are not present.

In Japan, communication and cultural issues are huge. The language is complex, it is not written in Western alphabets, and it is very difficult to learn. If a volunteer needs a translator, that ties up two people to do one job, and that is inefficient. The Japanese put a very high value on etiquette, nuance, and protocol. Informal Americans--even ones who can manage some of the language--run a very high risk of insulting the people they want to help.

This is a common problem at disasters even in the U.S., with American volunteers not understanding the local culture. (For example, I have heard of one group of good-hearted people arriving with beef ribs to feed a Hindu community. They couldn't eat the food due to their religious beliefs, and the volunteers were insulted at the refusal of their "gift.")

Processing would-be volunteers is also a problem. Existing volunteers and staff have to take time away from planning and executing the response, in order to register, interview, and track prospective helpers. This takes time, and it doesn't help when the prospective people get rude and yell at the existing workers for "taking too long." Believe, me it happens. Being rude or exasperated is the fastest way to being rejected from a volunteer agency. If someone behaves like that in their home country, in their native language, in a comfortable setting, what kind of tantrum will they throw under real stress?

So, those are just a few of the many reasons spontaneous volunteers are not used.

Make the commitment to training and volunteer time now, and when the next disaster comes, there may be a place for you in the response.