The elementary school in Kazuma, Ishinomaki is the only school that survived the tsunami in the city, and as such, original residents of the area are staying and many families in and around the city are moving into the area where they don't have to send their children to a distant school by bus.
However, they lost everything else including shops, grocery stores and facilities for after-school activities. A local leader Mr. Shoji Saito who has a strong connection to the school and local parents as he deals with school uniforms and supplies, is teaming up with a non-profit Transition Japan, whose Ishinomaki officer had run a community space there, to rebuild the area, to make it possible for the area to accommodate this huge influx of families and children.
He is seeking a way to rebuild his shop of school supplies and uniforms as one that is combined with a community space, chiefly for children but open for everyone in the community. Transition Japan has agreed to manage and offer programs in the space, utilizing its experience of running a community center in the area for a year. We, Architecture for Humanity have been working with Mr. Saito to realize the project.
