On July 1^st 2011 we went to the kindergarten Soramame in Fukushima City.

The Soramame nursery school is located at a hotspot therefore mass media often reports on it, so some of the readers might have heard already about it.

Although it was a hot and humid day, the sky was blue and the far away green mountains were very visible. It seemed as if it was at a perfect place for a kindergarten.

It was our third journey of humanitarian relief to Fukushima prefecture since April. Whenever we came, we always felt admiration for this beautiful land. “If only there has never been that nuclear accident…” We can sense even more the desire of the inhabitants of Fukushima prefecture to hold onto their place.

The kindergarten Soramame is located in a typical residential area.

The crippled nuclear power plant Fukushima Dai Ichi spread radioactive substances to Fukushima City. 90.90mSv/h was detected from dead leaves in the backyard of the kindergarten, and 27.27mSv/h on a wooden swing near the building. The biggest problem is the rain, which brought the radiation down into the soil. No matter how deep one was digging at the place where the rainwater from the roof streams to the ground through the rain-pipe, the radiation readings didn’t decrease.

Afterwards, the dose has been considerably lowered by decontamination work such as removing topsoil as much as possible. However, the dispersion of the radioactive substance never stops, and the decontamination work continues every day. "On the old roof the radioactive substances accumulate more easily therefore we asked the landlord to replace it, " told us the kindergarten staff.

Director Monma was holding a Geiger counter and was smiling a sad smile, saying that "Emergency situation has become our daily life".

After the earthquake only 9 of the 23 children stayed at the kindergarten. The most shocking to the staff was the explanation of some parents that they desire their children to “be at a day nursery without a dangerous soil.” “Children should play and grow up near the soil and grass. That’s why we used toys and all the rest of things made from only natural materials…” recalled the kindergarten staff.

Moreover, in the same area other nursery schools had a smaller rate of children who left the region. This probably means that at this kindergarten the number of parents who shared the views of the headmaster Ms Monma had higher awareness about the environment, where their children should grow up, has originally been higher. Therefore, a greater share of them has chosen to evacuate from the area as a result. Although, director Monma tends to sympathize… But sometimes she feels that this is too much for her.

So, as the remaining people have decided that they would like to have homeopathic care for their physical and mental troubles after the disaster, we have had 20 consultations with the children, parents and kindergarten staff, 20 homeopathic consultations altogether.

The effect of the earthquake and the radiation vary from person to person. However, every family seemed to be worried and undecided concerning one common question: “Will it be alright to keep living in this region or is it better to move to another region when thinking about the health of the children?"

It is very easy to say, “Go somewhere else - it is too dangerous to stay.” However, there are many people who just can’t go away as they have housing loans or they have to care for a sick person even though they understand that moving out would be better for the child's health. It is very important for the mental health that the decision to stay is accepted by everyone in order to live without anxiety about the future. Homeopathy could help to deal with these kinds of emotions.

Thus, we promised to support the Soramame Kindergarten as long as needed and headed home this time.