Want to Volunteer? Just do it.

There are always many reasons not to do something, so we want to make volunteering real easy for you. If you want to volunteer in Ishinomaki, come.

“But I don’t know anyone, and I don’t know what to do “

What we will do:

We will provide accommodation.

We will give you work to do.

We will give you advice and assistance on getting up here.

We will provide simple breakfast and dinner.

Here are more details on What To Expect.

What you will do: 

Contact us!

- If you have construction/building experience please mention this in the form, or email us directly at info@itsnotjustmud.com

-  All the information you need for planning your travel is here.

Bring this stuff:

• Money – We suggest a donation of 750 yen/day to partially cover costs of hosting volunteers (food, fuel, electricity, water etc). You are also welcome to make an additional donation towards the operation costs or our projects. Other than that, you will need money for snacks, lunch, trips to the public baths (“Onsen”) and anything else you might want to buy.
• Insurance – Volunteer insurance is MANDATORY to work on any of the INJM projects. INJM requires volunteers to have volunteer insurance BEFORE arriving in Ishinomaki. If you live in Japan, please contact your local social welfare office “Shakai Fukushi Kyogikai” where you can sign up for this prior to your arrival in Ishinomaki. It costs around 800yen, but varies from prefecture to prefecture. Please see these websites for further details: http://www.shakyo.or.jp/links/kenshakyo.html http://www.fukushihoken.co.jp/pamphlet/volunteer.pdf
  If you do not live in Japan, please purchase travel/health insurance that explicitly covers volunteer work, World Nomads for example. When you arrive we will assist you further with the Japanese volunteer insurance (as extra cover).
  
• A sleeping bag – We have plenty of blankets and futons, but having your own sleeping bag as well as those blankets will make sure you’re warm!
• Towel
• Toiletries
• Work clothes – One pair of work pants and several t shirts, shirts get very smelly very quickly
• Lots of underwear and socks – A pair for each day you will stay!
• Work gloves – One pair with good grip, one waterproof pair, you can buy these at any home center
• Clean clothes – One pair of jeans/a few clean T-shirts. Don’t need that many
• Masks – Optional, we provide normal masks, but you might prefer a better quality one.
• Rain coat/trousers – you might not need them, but better to have than not.
• Cap/towels to wrap around your head.
• Safety goggles – Optional, we can provide some if required
  
• Medicine/band-aids etc.

A guide with pictures on equipment should help when it comes to buying the more specialized equipment you might be confused about. You can find it here.

If you think this sounds like a lot of work, you’re wrong. It’s a few emails, a trip to the shops and then jumping on a bus. 

So… what are you waiting for? DO IT!