JICA USA Newsletter – July/August 2016
The JICA USA Newsletter is a bi-monthly publication which provides information on JICA’s activities in Washington, DC and around the world. If you are interested in receiving this electronic newsletter, please contact [email protected] to be added to our mailing list.
In this issue:
Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers receive Ramon Magsaysay Award JDR Infectious Diseases Response Team dispatched for Yellow Fever Outbreak JICA provides financial support for South Sudan’s participation in Olympics Vocational training in Paraguay and Angola: Japan-Brazil collaboration ______
Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers receive Ramon Magsaysay Award On July 27, the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation announced the Japanese Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) as one of the six recipients of the 2016 Ramon Magsaysay Award. This award, which was established in 1957 in memory of the third Philippine President, is considered Asia’s equivalent to the Nobel Peace Prize and is one of Asia’s premier prizes and highest honors.
This year, the Ramon Magsaysay Award recognizes JOCVs for their integrity in public service and pragmatic idealism toward advancing the lives of developing communities. The experiences and purpose of the JOCVs well align with the mission of the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation which seeks to honor organizations and individuals who exemplify “selfless leadership and manifest greatness of spirit in service to the people of Asia.”
The Japanese government established the JOCV Program in Ramon Magsaysay Award Emblem 1965 in order to give back to the international community after Japan’s aggressions in World War II. Administered under the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the JOCVs mission is to use grassroots diplomacy and community engagement to help facilitate the economic and social development of international countries in need. The JOCV volunteers, ranging in age from 20 to 39 years old, are matched to the needs of the countries where they are deployed and are trained in
JICA USA Newsletter – July/August 2016
the language and culture of their host country. The volunteers are assessed on their field performance while they are overseas and are provided with professional support to integrate into careers upon their return to Japan.
The JOCVs provide community aid and service in a wide range of sectors, including education, agriculture, forestry and fisheries, civil engineering, sanitation, culture and sports as well as training and administration. Each volunteer spends two years living and working with their assigned local communities to share their skills and experiences, while simultaneously respecting local customs. The overall goal for a JOCV volunteer is to help their new community develop socioeconomically through self-reliance and mutual JOCV providing training to Philippine youth on understanding. repairing automobiles
The Ramon Magsaysay Award will be presented to the JOCVs in Manila, Philippines on August 31, the birthday of the former President of the Philippines, Ramon Magsaysay, whose ideals inspired the Award’s creation. The President of JICA, Shinichi Kitaoka, will be in attendance at the ceremony to receive the award on behalf of the JOCVs and provide short remarks.
As JOCVs have gained international recognition over recent years through their dedicated service to international communities, JICA looks forward to continuing upon the success of the program to further invigorate international cooperation between Japan and the rest of the world. JDR Infectious Diseases Response Team dispatched for Yellow Fever Outbreak
JICA dispatched its first ever Japan Disaster Relief (JDR) Infectious Diseases Response Team in July to respond to a request from the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) concerning its yellow fever outbreak. As of August 20, thousands of cases of yellow fever had been confirmed in the DRC and Angola.
The JDR Infectious Diseases Response Team arrived to Kinshasa on July 20 and was on the scene until early August to advise senior officials of the DRC Ministry of Health, provide technical assistance for research laboratories, and help to prepare for a widespread vaccination campaign to combat future infections. The dispatched team, comprised of a
JICA USA Newsletter – July/August 2016
laboratory expert and two epidemiologists, worked closely with the Institut National de Recherche Biomedicale to process samples to confirm yellow fever cases. The information garnered from the samples was critical to both help treat infected patients and also properly target country-wide vaccination efforts.
The JDR Infectious Diseases Response Team was established in October 2015 as a lesson-learned from the Ebola epidemic that resulted in immense casualties in West African nations, particularly Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. As a result of the scale of damage of that outbreak, the Government of Japan established the JDR Team to help provide more effective assistance to minimize large-scale outbreaks of infectious diseases overseas. Dr. Shimojima, a member of the JDR Infectious Diseases Response Team, works alongside colleagues in the DRC In addition to the dispatch of the JDR Team in July, the Government of Japan also announced a contribution of $3.5 million to help the Ministries of Health in both Angola and the DRC to hold mass vaccination campaigns to further combat the spread of the disease. These campaigns, with the support of the World Health Organization, International Organization for Migration, and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, seek to safeguard at-risk communities and prevent transmission in affected regions. The funds provided by the Government of Japan will provide for operational costs, including the safe disbursement of clean needles and other medical supplies that will allow for the planned vaccination of about 17 million more individuals in the two countries before the rainy season begins in Africa in September.
JICA and the World Health Organization will continue to work closely together to help support the vaccination campaigns that have already successfully vaccinated a total of over 16 million people in the two countries since the start of the outbreak. These collaborative efforts are incredibly timely given the quickly approaching rainy season, which could cause a spike in reported cases as a result of a higher concentration of mosquitos. JICA provides financial support for South Sudan’s participation in Olympics Last summer, South Sudan became the 206th country to be eligible to participate in the Olympic Games. As a result, the country sent three of its best athletes to represent them in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro for the first time in history this year: Mr.
JICA USA Newsletter – July/August 2016
Santino Kenyi Warnyang Kenyi for the men’s 1500 meter race, Ms. Margret Rumat Rumat Hassan for the women’s 200 meter sprint, and Mr. Guor Marial for the men’s marathon.
However, the road to Rio did not come without its challenges. Even after being admitted to the Olympic Games by the International Olympic Committee, the athletes had to overcome the many obstacles of representing a country that still struggles to establish national peace and is one of the least developed.
South Sudan, the world’s youngest country, has continued to be plagued by conflict between its two factions, one led by those loyal to South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir, and the other led by sympathizers of First Vice President Riek Machar. These tensions once again came to a head on July 8, only two days after the Olympians were selected. The stand-off resulted in eruptions of heavy shooting in the country’s capital of Juba that claimed approximately 300 lives and displaced thousands more.
Given the continued state of conflict in the country, the Government of South Sudan has been in dire financial straits since its independence in 2011. The lack of finances in the country directly impacted the three Olympians’ abilities to receive professional training and the necessary expenses to cover the costs of participating in Rio. Still, the Government of South Sudan was determined to send their delegation to the Olympic Games to represent their new country and serve as a beacon of hope for the nation’s peace and unity.
To provide support to help South Sudan fulfill its goal, JICA From left, Mr. Kenyi; Dr. Dudi; and provided financial support to cover travel and administrative Ms. Hassan at press conference in Juba expenses for the country’s Olympians. Understanding the strength that sports bring to celebrate different ethnicities while embracing national unity, JICA has long promoted the value of these efforts. Back in January, JICA even helped support South Sudan hold its first national sports event since it gained independence.
Dr. Nadia Arop Dudi, South Sudan’s Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports who was at the airport for the Olympic team’s departure, expressed her utmost appreciation for the assistance provided by JICA.
JICA USA Newsletter – July/August 2016
“Sports can build peace and unity amongst the people of South Sudan, and the Ministry will continue to promote sports,” Ms. Dudi reiterated. She also mentioned that South Sudan fully expects to send more athletes to compete in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
JICA has provided assistance to South Sudan for sports, infrastructure, agriculture and sanitation, among others since 2005. Through collaborative partnership, JICA stands ready to support South Sudan toward long-lasting peace and looks forward to seeing them again on the Olympic stage in 2020. Vocational Training in Paraguay and Angola: Japan-Brazil collaboration
Building on their long history of collaboration, JICA and SENAI, a Brazilian vocational training institute, are in the process of launching two new projects that provide workforce development training to Portuguese-speaking countries. One of the projects is underway in Paraguay, the other will be launched in Angola.
Established in 1942, SENAI has a proven record of providing job and skills training to help match trainees with their countries’ industry and market demands. So far, SENAI has provided vocational training to more than 27 million people from across the globe and counting.
Noticing the success of SENAI’s work, Japan began to provide assistance to the training institute in 1962. In 2000, JICA took the partnership one step further by deciding to collaborate with SENAI to carry out workforce development projects within various countries in Latin America and Africa through a mode of triangular cooperation1.
JICA and SENAI discuss plans for commencing their project in Paraguay This year, JICA and SENAI have worked in collaboration to launch a new four-year project in Paraguay called “The Project for Developing Qualified Human Resources in Response to
1 A cooperation mechanism that brings together actors from both developed and developing countries to share knowledge and implement projects that support the common goal of reducing poverty and promoting development. Developed countries share their knowledge with developing countries, who then share their knowledge with even less developed countries.
JICA USA Newsletter – July/August 2016
the Needs of Industries.” This new project focuses on providing skills training to help meet the needs of Paraguay’s blooming manufacturing industry. Learning from experts who specialize in Japanese manufacturing techniques like “monozukuri” and factory management skills, trainees are taught to develop the effective techniques and skills necessary to succeed in Paraguay’s manufacturing industry. In addition to helping trainees attain this knowledge, SENAI also provides guidance to Paraguayan instructors to hone their own skills through a model training institute and give them the tools to teach effective manufacturing skills.
Additionally, the Japan-Brazil partnership is also extending their efforts in Angola through the “Project for strengthening the capacity of the Vocational Training Center for Civil Construction (CENFOC).” This project aims to help resurrect Angola’s infrastructure that was destroyed in its civil war that lasted from 1975 to 2002.
The project helps Angola rebuild and reconstruct their country by providing vocational training to develop skilled laborers who specialize in construction work. SENAI experts interview instructors for the The project particularly targets youth in Angola to CENFOC project provide them with the resources they need to help take the lead on the rebuilding efforts in the wake of the war.
The partnership is expected to be especially effective, given that Brazil not only shares the same native language, but also shares similarities in landscape and construction materials. These parallels provide SENAI with the unique expertise to successfully guide Angola’s reconstruction efforts.
With its long history of working hand-in-hand with Brazil, JICA is excited to continue its collaboration with Brazil and provide more opportunities to Portuguese-speaking countries in Latin America, Africa, and the Pacific.