Japanese Ambassador Toshinao Urabe congratulates Ret. Rev. Brent H.W. Alawas, Chairperson, Board of Trustees of St. James High School after signing the grant contract for “ The Project for Construction of Classrooms for St. James High School ” on March 18, 2013 at the Embassy of Japan. |
Japanese Ambassador Toshinao Urabe and Ret. Rev. Brent H.W. Alawas, Chairperson, Board of Trustees of St. James High School, signed the grant contract for “The Project for Construction of Classrooms for St. James High School” on 18 March 2013 at the Embassy of Japan. The project, amounting to US$ 115,689 (approximately 4.5 million pesos), is funded through the scheme of the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP).
St. James High School, located in Besao, Mountain Province, has been providing affordable education to students from poor families in the municipality and its nearby areas.
In June 2012, a devastating fire ravaged one of the school's old buildings , which forced students to use auxiliary rooms for their classes. Improvement of the educational environment was a priority for the school.
Through the GGP, St. James High School will be given funding for the construction of four (4) new classrooms equipped with school furniture. The project will provide a better learning environment for the School's 266 students.
The Government of Japan, as the top ODA donor for the Philippines, launched the GGP in the country in 1989 for the purpose of reducing poverty and helping various communities engaged in grassroots activities. Since then , the Embassy has funded 484 GGP grants – ranging from roughly 1 to 4 million pesos per project – for NGOs, local government units and other non-profit organizations. The total grant for these projects so far amounts to approximately US$ 24 million. Japan believes these projects will not only strengthen friendship between the peoples of Japan and the Philippines but also contribute to further fostering a strategic partnership between the two countries towards the future.
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