Oranda Jima House

Yamada-machi is a town located on the central coastline of Japan’s Iwate prefecture. Its economy is based mainly on the fishery industry, with an emphasis on aquafarming seafood such as scallops, oysters, sea urchin and abalone. There are also several small- and medium-sized factories in the mountainous regions. The total population of the town in 2010 was 18.625 people; it amounted to 17,235 since 1 December 2012.

After a devastating earthquake and tsunami hit the town on 11 March 2011, several major companies were urged to help by a longtime friend of Yamada-machi in The Hague, the Netherlands. The companies were both Dutch and International, including the PA International Foundation, DSM, Rabobank, The Netherlands Chamber of Commerce in Japan, van der Architects and Stichting 't Trekpaert. This business group decided to offer the town a facility where children would have a place to play, heal and come together. Following extensive consultations with the Yamada-machi authorities, it was proposed in February 2012 to establish an after-school house and community centre.

The Foundation is named after the island where in 1643 a Dutch ship, called The ‘Breskens’ landed in the Bay of Yamada. This island was called 'Oranda-jima ('Holland Island')  350 years after the  ‘Breskens’ stranded there.