Around the world, people moved by the tragedy in Japan are offering their hearts and homes to Japanese who need a temporary place to stay outside of their beleaguered country.
Last week, a group called HostJapanese , started up on Facebook to connect willing hosts with Japanese in need. Within the first two days, the group already had 2,000 members.
One of the founding members, Mustafa Akca from Turkey, wrote via Facebook, that he wanted to create a network that extends “all around the world to host our Japanese earthquake victims.“
Several other groups with the same idea started up about the same time. They quickly joined together to form HostJapanese, with branches in countries across the world including Germany, Netherlands, Russia, Indonesia, and Malaysia.
But despite the generosity of would-be hosts, Japanese may not want to leave their country in its hour of need.
One of the site’s founders, Ricardo Brouwer, said in an interview with FrankWatching.com website, that although they have had a positive response from Japan, “What we mostly hear from them is that Japanese are now preoccupied with survival. Flights from Japan are not something people immediately think of, besides that, they are generally too proud to leave their country.”
The group reports that so far they haven’t been able to connect with many Japanese wanting to leave Japan. Facebook has just over 2 million users in Japan. Brouwer said they are urgently looking for people who can help them link up with those in need.
One Swiss woman, Katerina Gebhardt-Hladka, who offered her home on HostJapanese’s Facebook page said she was motivated after reading in the newspaper that Japanese did not panic, but wanted to stay in Japan.
“I somehow do not believe it. Perhaps there are mothers around in Japan, who would strongly prefer to leave with their children, but do not know where to go,” she wrote to The Epoch Times via Facebook.
Another website working alongside HostJapanese, put together by German volunteers, www.love4japan.com, enables Japanese to sign up for a place to stay in Japanese. It also registers hosts who can take them in. The site then connects people to agree on conditions and come to an arrangement.
Although she has opened her home, Katerina Gebhardt-Hladka wonders if it will work out. “It seems to be very difficult, lots of Bürokratie [bureaucracy]. And the new refugees from Libya are already on their way, asking the government for asylum. In the meantime, I am rather pessimistic about the chance anybody would really manage to come. I go on watching the news, hoping nothing even worse shall happen in Japan.”
HostJapanese reports that the first Japanese family to accept an offer landed in Berlin on Saturday.
Last week, a group called HostJapanese , started up on Facebook to connect willing hosts with Japanese in need. Within the first two days, the group already had 2,000 members.
One of the founding members, Mustafa Akca from Turkey, wrote via Facebook, that he wanted to create a network that extends “all around the world to host our Japanese earthquake victims.“
Several other groups with the same idea started up about the same time. They quickly joined together to form HostJapanese, with branches in countries across the world including Germany, Netherlands, Russia, Indonesia, and Malaysia.
But despite the generosity of would-be hosts, Japanese may not want to leave their country in its hour of need.
One of the site’s founders, Ricardo Brouwer, said in an interview with FrankWatching.com website, that although they have had a positive response from Japan, “What we mostly hear from them is that Japanese are now preoccupied with survival. Flights from Japan are not something people immediately think of, besides that, they are generally too proud to leave their country.”
The group reports that so far they haven’t been able to connect with many Japanese wanting to leave Japan. Facebook has just over 2 million users in Japan. Brouwer said they are urgently looking for people who can help them link up with those in need.
One Swiss woman, Katerina Gebhardt-Hladka, who offered her home on HostJapanese’s Facebook page said she was motivated after reading in the newspaper that Japanese did not panic, but wanted to stay in Japan.
“I somehow do not believe it. Perhaps there are mothers around in Japan, who would strongly prefer to leave with their children, but do not know where to go,” she wrote to The Epoch Times via Facebook.
Another website working alongside HostJapanese, put together by German volunteers, www.love4japan.com, enables Japanese to sign up for a place to stay in Japanese. It also registers hosts who can take them in. The site then connects people to agree on conditions and come to an arrangement.
Although she has opened her home, Katerina Gebhardt-Hladka wonders if it will work out. “It seems to be very difficult, lots of Bürokratie [bureaucracy]. And the new refugees from Libya are already on their way, asking the government for asylum. In the meantime, I am rather pessimistic about the chance anybody would really manage to come. I go on watching the news, hoping nothing even worse shall happen in Japan.”
HostJapanese reports that the first Japanese family to accept an offer landed in Berlin on Saturday.
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