Play Space for Children Set Up at Kumamoto Quake Shelter

Yatsushiro, a city in Kumamoto Prefecture, received a new play space for children at an evacuation shelter following the devastating 7.1-magnitude earthquake that struck the region on July 28. The nursery and after-school care services had to halt operations due to the powerful quake, which caused extensive damage in Yatsushiro.

The second-floor gymnasium on the second floor of a city-run junior high school, serving as the shelter, has been converted into a play area for children aged between elementary school and high school.

The newly established play space features games and cardboard beds, providing a setting for children to socialize and engage in activities like playing Uno, a popular card game. A 15-year-old high school student expressed that the return to normalcy feels evident within the shelter. Another high school student mentioned that people have become more cheerful since the play area's opening.

Volunteer high school students have stepped up to care for younger children at the shelter. The initiative was made possible with support from Chance For All, a nonprofit organization based in Tokyo. The group supplied playing cards and board games after receiving requests from evacuees for a designated area where children could relax and play.

Kanta Kojima, a 27-year-old volunteer from the nonprofit, expressed concern over the psychological impact of the earthquake on children. He witnessed preschool children and young elementary school students engage in pretend play scenarios, such as knocking over building blocks to mimic the earthquake's aftermath and uttering phrases like "call an ambulance" or "provide artificial respiration."