Japanese Ambassador Makoto Katsura congratulates Ms. Akiko Mera who represented Oxfam Japan Chair Ms.Kathy Matsui after the signing of Grant Contract for the Strengthening Schools and Community Structures as Focal Points for Community Reconstruction and Conflict Reduction at the Embassy of Japan on November 3, 2009. The ceremony was witnessed by officials from Oxfam Great Britain and Embassy of Japan. |
Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Makoto Katsura and Ms. Akiko Mera, representing Ms. Kathy Matsui, Chair of Oxfam Japan, signed the grant contract for Strengthening Schools and Community Structures as Focal Points for Community Reconstruction and Conflict Reduction at the Embassy of Japan on November 3, 2009. This project is funded through the Grant Assistance for Japanese NGO Projects, a small-grant funding program of Japan 's Official Development Assistance (ODA), with a grant of 12,850,589 Japanese Yen (approximately 5.8 million pesos).
Under the project, three (3) school buildings with six (6) classrooms will be constructed for Kakal Elementary School in Paglat, Maguindanao, and 300 desks and chairs will be provided for students. The project will also include trainings for the parents, teachers and community association (PTCA) of the Kakal Elementary School and that of Salam Elementary School, aiming to empower the capacity of the associations in terms of advocacy and fundraising. Through the trainings, they are expected to learn also how to communicate effectively, by themselves, to the related government agencies such as the Municipal Government of Paglat and the Department of Education, Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DepEd-ARMM) for the improvement of the schools' educational environment.
The Government of Japan launched the Japan-Bangsamoro Initiatives for Reconstruction and Development (J-BIRD) in December 2006 as part of its commitment to support peace and development efforts in Mindanao. Based on the J-BIRD, schools, training centers, water systems and roads have been constructed and rehabilitated. While many NGOs are recipients of this funding scheme, this project is the first one to be implemented by a Japanese NGO under the J-BIRD.
T he Grant Assistance for Japanese NGO Projects started in the Philippines in 2002. Since then, the Japanese Government has disbursed about 1 93 m illion Japanese Y en ( approximately 97 million pesos ) for a total of 20 projects in the Philippines.
Japanese Version
