The Japanese government has provided more than $800,000 in funding to two Japanese NGOs, under its grant assistance framework. The NGOs are engaged in raising awareness of environment issues and eliminating violence against children in schools.

The grant contract was signed on March 12 by Japanese ambassador Masahiro Mikami and representatives of the two NGOs – Nature Centre Risen (NCR) and Save the Children Japan (SCJ).

A Japanese embassy press statement said $120,000 was granted to NCR to implement the second year of its "Realisation of sustainable life environment around Cambodian citizens through promoting and raising awareness of environment issues’ project", while $697,000 went to Save the Children Japan (SCJ) for their "Eliminate Violence Against Children in Schools in Kampong Cham, Cambodia" programme.

The statement said NCR will promote and increase fundamental environmental awareness across Cambodia by providing educational materials and equipment – to improve the environmental literacy of citizens – and implement awareness-raising activities.

The NGO projected that about 130 people will play core roles in promoting and raising awareness of environmental issues to the public.

SCJ will implement awareness-raising activities toward children, parents and school officials, while advocating for and establishing school-based child protection systems with the aim of eliminating violence against children in schools.

Through this project, around 12,000 students and 440 teachers of the targeted schools will benefit from a safer and more inclusive violence-free environment, which will lead to an improvement in the healthy development and wellbeing of children.