Japan providing $828,546 for mine clearing, new school building and enhanced agriculture operations
THE JAPANESE government is providing $828,546 in total for three recipient organisations under the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects framework, known as the “KUSANONE” programme.
Grant contracts were signed by H.E. Ueno Atsushi, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the Kingdom of Cambodia, and representatives of the three recipient organisations on February 15, 2024.
The funding is to be used to carry out three projects benefiting the Cambodian
Mine Action Centre (CMAC), Battambang province’s Ping Pong Primary School and Ratanakkiri cashew nut farmers.
With the $515,060 “Project for Mine Clearance in Three Northwestern Provinces of Cambodia”, the grant to CMAC will be used to accelerate mine clearance and improve efficiency by installing the software for an AI-based mine action system.
Unexploded ordnance continues to be found in Cambodia, including when developing areas of land for agriculture or tourism, or
the establishment of largescale factories, with increased economic activities having unearthed landmines in Pursat, Kampong Thom and Siem Reap provinces.
The “Project for Mine Clearance in Three Northwestern Provinces of Cambodia” aims to bring about a safe environment for social development and around 20,000 residents of the three provinces by eliminating explosive remnants of war across a total of 0.96 square kilometres of land.
The Battambang Provincial Department of Education, Youth and Sport received
$88,900 for the “Project for Construction of Ping Pong Primary School Building in Borvel District, Battambang Province”.
In this project, a five-room school building equipped with modern classroom furniture will be built at the Ping Pong Primary School in Battambang province’s Borvel district.
Currently, students at the school face difficulties when studying because the current wooden school building and the furniture therein are in poor condition.
The project aims to bring about a safer and more comfortable learning
environment, with it expected to benefit around 166 students through the improvements made to the quality of education.
The Ratanakkiri Provincial Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries received $224,586 to assist four agricultural cooperatives in the east of Cambodia.
In “The Project for the Improvement of Post-harvest Operation of Cashew Nuts in Ratanakkiri Province”, the grant will be used to construct warehouses and drying yards, and equip the cooperatives with moisture testers and grading machines.
Harvested raw cashew nuts are currently being sold at low prices during the plentiful harvest season because of a lack of warehousing and drying yards, with cashew farmers struggling to maintain high standards of quality in the production process without moisture testers and grading machines.
It is expected to benefit around 200 farmers in four agricultural districts by strengthening the value chain in cashew nut production as well as improving farmers’ incomes.
Japan’s “KUSANONE” projects started in Cambodia in 1991 in order to support Cambodia’s reconstruction and development at the grassroots level.
The assistance aims to protect those who are vulnerable due to various factors such as poverty and/ or misfortune that directly threaten their lives, livelihoods and dignity, as well as to promote the self-reliance of local communities.
Since 1991, the Japanese government has provided more than $69 million, mainly to local authorities and nongovernmental organisations, to implement 691 KUSANONE projects across Cambodia.