KVH CSR Update

As part of KVH Cares CSR program that was established in the middle of 2011, KVH has been providing various aid to approximately 600 Naraha Machi evacuees currently living temporarily in Aizu Misato Machi. This aid has been in the form of summer clothing for the children as well as the donation of a shuttle bus and driver to transport evacuees between the temporary housing areas and downtown Aizu Misato Machi.

Through discussions with town officials, KVH has learned that the Aizu Misato Machi elderly occupy the current community centers and there are no common places for the children of Naraha Machi to gather and interact. To help address this situation, KVH, together with Taisei Construction and the BCCJ, have decided to fund the construction of a log cabin to serve as a small community center for the Naraha Machi evacuees. This would give the children of Naraha Machi a place to hang out and have fun.

The community center that KVH is constructing is a log cabin approximately 100m2 and is being supplied from a Siberian log cabin manufacturer. The town of Aizu Misato Machi has hired three child care staff to look after the younger children that will play in the building. Currently, the foundation has been poured by Taisei and we are planning to raise the structure during the first few weeks of May. A video of this project will be posted in the next edition of this newsletter.

Once the community center has been erected, we have plans to utilize KVH’s telepresence video conferencing capabilities to connect to the structure to offer weekly English language exchange between KVH’s HQ and Aizu Misato Machi.

If you wish to contribute or participate in this exciting and worthwhile project, please send an email to KVH Marketing (marketing@kvh.co.jp) and we can provide more details and discuss possible ways of participation.