LATEST GROUP OF JICA VOLUNTEERS ARRIVE
The latest batch of JICA volunteers arrived in Sri Lanka on October 11. These young Japanese volunteers are here to provide services in their specific fields of expertise. JICA volunteers are sent to developing nations as a part of the Japanese Government’s Technical Cooperation Programme, and their activities are aimed at providing assistance in economic and social development at grassroots level. All such volunteers undergo prior training in the languages of their host countries, and with regard to Sri Lanka, they conduct their activities in Sinhala or Tamil, depending on the region they are assigned.
This new batch of nine JICA volunteers will be engaged in the provision of services in a wide range of fields which include environmental education (in Kandy and Kundasale) , Baseball (in Kandy) , photography (in Colombo), soccer (in Jaffna), elderly care (in Batticaloa), primary education (in Mannar), dress making (Jaffna) and marketing (in Jaffna). The volunteers will be attached to institutions coming under several ministries. Eights of the nine volunteers will work in Sri Lanka for a period of two years, while the other will be in the country for a period of 20 months. Currently there are 60 volunteers working in all nine provinces, and since the introduction of the programme in 1981, more than 1,100 JICA volunteers have served in Sri Lanka. On November 29, five
All such volunteers undergo prior training in the languages of their host countries, and with regard to Sri Lanka, they conduct their activities in Sinhala or Tamil
Japanese young volunteers were introduced to their host organizations at an assigning ceremony, which was held at the Department of External Resources (DER). The occasion was graced by DER, JICA and officials representing the volunteers’ host organizations and other institutions. Five volunteers introduced themselves and expressed their determination to carry out a two year’s assignment in Tamil language.
After the ceremony, the five volunteers will start working in each Sri Lankan host organization in Jaffna, Batticaloa and Mannar from November 30th.