COVID-19 occurred around November 2019 in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, and spread severely in Wuhan at that time. CODE launched a relief project on February 4, 2020, after an urgent request for assistance from our counterpart in China, Mr. Zhang Guoyuan, CODE launched a relief project on February 4, 2020.

Since only medical personnel could enter the blockaded Wuhan City, it was difficult for Zhang and his colleagues from the NGO to provide direct support in the area. Therefore, Mr. Zhang and his colleagues set up a relief network, CEER (Civil Engagement in Emergency for COVID-19) and started online volunteer activities. Volunteers joined each of the 10 teams (volunteer coordination, overseas coordination, information, action, advertisement, product, logistics, mental care, etc.) to take advantage of their expertise and specialties. Volunteers living in Wuhan City took the initiative in identifying needs, delivering relief supplies, and counseling those who were lonely and anxious to understand people’s thought from the closest place, while other volunteers in the relief network backed up their activities through online efforts.

Zhang and his colleagues asked for assistance from Japan because of the shortage of masks, protective clothing, and goggles for the medical personnel they were sending to Wuhan. Soon, however, the infection began to spread in Japan, making it difficult to obtain masks and other items, so we only collected donations for the local people and disseminated information about Wuhan City.

In early March 2020, a study session about the COVID-19, connecting China, Taiwan and Japan was held in collaboration with Professor Tomohide Atsumi from Osaka University and the Disaster Volunteer Lab in the Osaka University Center for Future Co-Creation. This study session was held because we heard that in Wuhan, where Mr. Chang and his colleagues support, children starved to death due to the isolation of infected families, and that people who recovered from the infection were discriminated against. Since the same situation might occur in Japan as well, we considered that we had to learn from the Wuhan experience as soon as possible.

After the study meeting, Mr. Zhang proposed launching a private alliance for the measurement against COVID-19. The Executive Director, Yoshitsubaki, together with Prof. Atsumi, as the initiator, and CODE as a member, decided to join the IACCR (International Alliance for COVID-19 Community Response). 17 organizations from 14 countries and regions are participating in the IACCR currently (October 2020). The IACCR holds regular online international conferences to share initiatives and experiences from different regions. The themes of the conferences range from social psychology, mental care and symbiosis to post-Corona economic recovery, and we learn from each other about the possibilities of volunteerism and community-based support in the COVID-19 situation. We are also looking for ways to support those in difficult situations in the countries and communities of our participating members.