Japanese Ambassador Toshinao Urabe congratulates Country Director Yukiyo Nomura of ICAN Philippines, after signing the grant contract for “ Peace Building Project through Education in Conflict Affected areas in Pikit, Mindanao (Phase 1) ,” on November 3, 2011 at the Embassy of Japan. The ceremony was witnessed by the officials of ICAN Philippines and the Embassy of Japan.
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Japanese Ambassador Toshinao Urabe and Ms. Yukiyo Nomura, Country Director of ICAN Philippines signed the grant contract for ‘Peace Building Project through Education in Conflict Affected areas in Pikit, Mindanao (Phase 1)' at the Embassy of Japan on November 3, 2011. The project, amounting to US$ 561 , 79 5 (approximately 2 4 million pesos), is funded through the Grant Assistance for Japanese NGO Projects, a small-grant funding program of Japan's Official Development Assistance (ODA).
Municipality of Pikit with a population of about 10,000 lies in Cotabato Province, Mindanao. In the municipality, around 75% of residents are Muslims and remaining 25% are Christians. Pikit witnessed armed conflicts several times in the past, and the residents were forced to evacuate and return repeatedly. Since the security condition is relatively stable these days, more and more children want to go back to school. However, the municipality has not provided sufficient learning environments for them. There are only five classrooms in the Sultan Kudarat Memorial High School with more than 300 students. The number of students per classroom in the school is over 60, so they need to endure the congestion. Even an outside stage is used to accommodate some students.
Many children are also suffering from trauma or stress due to the series of conflicts. They lost their family members or relatives and assets. To prevent these children from holding hostility toward people with different religions and halt the vicious cycle of violence, it is imperative to promote the peace education in this region.
Under the project, a 6 -classroom building will be constructed for the Sultan Kudarat Memorial High School. Armchairs, teacher's desks and tables, and blackboards, will also be provided. The construction of a new school building will address the growing concern over classroom congestion and will provide the students with an improved learning environment. In addition, ICAN Philippines will conduct the “School of Peace Training” for the students and teachers. In the training, students will learn how to address quarrels or fights peacefully without resorting to violence, and teachers will be equipped with know-how to deal with children with trauma or stress.
The Grant Assistance for Japanese NGO Projects started in the Philippines in 2002. Since then, the Japanese Government has disbursed approximately 1 56 million pesos for a total of 2 6 projects in the Philippines. Japan believes that this project will strengthen not only friendship between the peoples of Japan and the Philippines but also the existing strategic partnership between Japan and the Philippines.
Japanese Version
