Japanese Ambassador to Cambodia Hidehisa Horinouchi (right) and Japan Mine Action Service representative Noriyoshi Suenaga sign off an aid agreement at the Embassy of Japan in Phnom Penh. Photo supplied
The government of Japan has granted a total of $925,630 to two Japanese charities based in Kratie and Kampong Thom provinces for the completion of a paediatric surgical care system enhancement scheme and a cluster munitions project.
The Foundation for International Development/Relief (FIDR) and the Japan Mine Action Service (JMAS) are the beneficiaries of this aid, provided under the Grant Assistance for Japanese NGO Projects framework.
Japanese Ambassador to Cambodia Hidehisa Horinouchi, FIDR Cambodia head Yumiko Minami and JMAS representative Noriyoshi Suenaga signed the agreement at the Embassy of Japan in Phnom Penh.
In a statement, the embassy said $237,666 was given to fund FIDR’s Enhancing Medical Systems to Practice Paediatric Surgery project in its first year in Kratie province.
It said $687, 964 was granted to JMAS for its Comprehensive Mechanical Demining project which is in its second year in Kampong Thom province.
The statement said FIDR, through its project, would help enhance the paediatric surgical care system in Kratie by providing training for medical staff at the provincial referral hospital and other health centres across the province.
The organisation aims to develop the capacity of non-management staff in health centres and provide health education to patients and their families, it added.
JMAS’ project will focus on comprehensive mechanical demining in Kampong Thom province. They will develop an integrated mechanical mine clearance technique using demining machines, de-cluster machines and drones in contaminated areas where landmines and cluster munitions remain.
The organisation will also transfer the efficient and safe clearance method to the Cambodia Mine Action Centre, with the aim of enhancing its capacity and accelerating its efforts to demine Cambodia.
Horinouchi told The Post that the Japanese government granted nearly $238,000 to FIDR to provide better training to medical workers, enhance medical practices in paediatric surgery and offer health education to people in the area – including patients and family members.
“Patients received paediatric surgery in the initial stage, while overall the children’s health in the area also improved,” he said.
He added that he hoped JMAS’ project would ease the daily worries of people living in heavily mined areas and would also contribute to the area’s further economic development.
