OISCA: Philosophy & People
- At May 19, 2018
- By admin
- In Annes Letters
0
Dear Family and Friends,
This morning at 4 a.m. it was pouring in torrents. By 6 o’clock it had completely stopped. The gods were being kind since today was OISCA’s annual “Tree Planting Festival”. Along the coast near Sendai, in Natori City, where the 2011 tsunami hit the hardest, OISCA has been working with locals to rebuild the 500-year-old forest devastated in that disaster.
There were many high school students, too. I was lucky to pair up with a young girl, shy but lovely. We dug holes, planted, stomped the earth around our newly installed pine, gave a tug to be sure the tree was in securely, and moved on to the next. And the next. And the next . . .
There were grandmas and grandpas, too, knowledgeable, wise, and hard working. They expertly sped through their work, leaving perfect rows of baby trees behind. And then they shifted to give a helping hand where needed.
Probably everyone’s favorites, though, were the families with teeny kids. Two couples in particular were especially honored. One because they had met a few years ago — at an “OISCA Tree Planting Festival” — and today arrived with the latest member of the family.
And of course, there were the officials. Yoshida San, the man I met at the OISCA photo show several years ago and who turned me on to the magic and wonder of this organization. He is now the head of this rebuilding project in Natori.
This morning at 4 a.m. it was pouring in torrents. By 6 o’clock it had completely stopped. The gods were being kind since today was OISCA’s annual “Tree Planting Festival”. Along the coast near Sendai, in Natori City, where the 2011 tsunami hit the hardest, OISCA has been working with locals to rebuild the 500-year-old forest devastated in that disaster.
I have been a fan of OISCA ever since “by coincidence” I came upon a photo show promoting its very special work. It is a worldwide NGO, but is in this area for ten years, helping us get back on our feet. With them we are building a new forest, so the strong winds, eternally battling between mountains and sea, will be tamed and the coastline will become useable, although no longer for housing, but for agriculture.
OISCA guides; it does not control. Locals are in charge; OISCA assists. OISCA is here temporarily; locals will stay for generations. So, OISCA is more a teaching-learning project than a regular NGO. That is a philosophy I strongly espouse, so am happy, even proud, to lend my small support to this great organization.
I also love the people. They range in age from grandparents to new borns. One lovely gentleman, for example, has trouble walking, but volunteers with OISCA regularly. Today he higher minded his bad back in order to mentor an eager youngster on how to use a hoe and to plant properly. Surely, the seeds sown today were far more than black pine.
OISCA guides; it does not control. Locals are in charge; OISCA assists. OISCA is here temporarily; locals will stay for generations. So, OISCA is more a teaching-learning project than a regular NGO. That is a philosophy I strongly espouse, so am happy, even proud, to lend my small support to this great organization.
I also love the people. They range in age from grandparents to new borns. One lovely gentleman, for example, has trouble walking, but volunteers with OISCA regularly. Today he higher minded his bad back in order to mentor an eager youngster on how to use a hoe and to plant properly. Surely, the seeds sown today were far more than black pine.
There were many high school students, too. I was lucky to pair up with a young girl, shy but lovely. We dug holes, planted, stomped the earth around our newly installed pine, gave a tug to be sure the tree was in securely, and moved on to the next. And the next. And the next . . .
There were grandmas and grandpas, too, knowledgeable, wise, and hard working. They expertly sped through their work, leaving perfect rows of baby trees behind. And then they shifted to give a helping hand where needed.
Probably everyone’s favorites, though, were the families with teeny kids. Two couples in particular were especially honored. One because they had met a few years ago — at an “OISCA Tree Planting Festival” — and today arrived with the latest member of the family.
The father of the other family had grown up in this area. In fact, his house had been where we were working today. He remembers playing in the then forest when he was a child. He wants the same for his kids and grandkids, and beyond. He is so committed to his dream that he volunteers several times a month to do backbreaking maintenance in this very young forest.
And of course, there were the officials. Yoshida San, the man I met at the OISCA photo show several years ago and who turned me on to the magic and wonder of this organization. He is now the head of this rebuilding project in Natori.
And there was Suzuki San, who manages many overseas OISCA projects, but who comes to Natori several times a year to help out.
There was also Fujita San, an OISCA Vice President whom “by chance” I met on the train this morning and who arranged for me to go up in a crane to see the reforestation project from the air.
Such lovely people, each and every one. I trust that their loving, caring energy is entering this land and becoming what people in the future, near and far, sense when they enter the forest we are building now, much more for them than for ourselves.
Love,
Anne
Love,
Anne
