Like many Kesennuma residents who worked in the fisheries industry on Miyagi Prefecture's coast, Charito Ito lost her job when the processing firm she had worked at for 14 years was wiped out by tsunami last March.
While many residents are still living on employment insurance and face uncertain futures, Ito, a 38-year-old Filipino, and other foreign nationals have landed jobs as caregivers for the city's large elderly population, through the support of nonprofit groups and volunteers.
"I'm going to do my best to become a good caregiver to repay the people who have helped us and gave us this opportunity," said Ito, who started work at a care facility in January.
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