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2016.06.02

JEN Begins Assisting Fukushima’s Mothers and Babies

Currently, JEN is working on partnership-based projects, in which we provide funding and technical support to its partners, who are local NPOs or organizations involving in support activities for marginalized people in disaster-affected areas.

In June 2016, JEN chose Fukushima Midwife Association as a partner and began supporting its “Midwife-driven Comprehensive Expectant and Nursing Mothers Support Project.” Midwives are experts in helping expectant mothers, nursing mothers, as well as their babies, both physically and mentally. Only those who passed the national exam can work as midwives unless they already have nursing qualifications.

According to “the Survey on Expectant Mothers and Nursing Mothers” conducted by Fukushima Prefecture in 2014, 12 percent of those mothers in Fukushima suffered from postpartum depression, which was 3 percent higher than the national average. Frequent phone calls and consultation requests for help from the Midwife Association indicate that many mothers are concerned about their mental or health conditions or are isolated from the society causing absence of child-raising assistance.

After the earthquake, many families with small children left Fukushima to escape from the daunting living conditions. Since those who chose to stay also feel unconfident about raising their children, Fukushima Prefecture implemented a policy which grants mothers and babies short stays at maternity centers. Besides being commissioned to perform this plan, the Fukushima Midwife Association is also conducting its own project of:

- holding a prenatal class;
- providing a place for nursing mothers to communicate with each other;
- providing a dietary education about proper infant diets.

Five years have passed since the earthquake, yet this kind of mother and baby health project is still rare to see across the country, which deserves recognition and acceptance among other local governments in Fukushima Prefecture. Therefore, we will be helping the Association regarding funding, presenting this program to local governments, and preparing necessary documents for policy promotion targeting other local governments, until December 2018.

【The inspection of internal radiation dose is being conducted.】
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June 2, 2016 in Tohoku earthquake |