Rose Mestika
Addis Ababa
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
The grant agreement-the seventh to be held this year-was signed between the Japanese embassy in Addis Ababa and the Mobility Without Barriers Foundation at the embassy premises.
Under the agreement, the recipient organization will utilize the fund in working closely with the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) the Somali Regional Health Bureau of Health, the disaster preparedness and prevention agency and two other un named regional medical centers.
After signing the agreement with the representative of the foundation, Japanese ambassador to Ethiopia Kinichi Komano, said it was his hope the grant would benefit the most vulnerable and deprived people and communities in the region.
He said the Japanese government is committed to supporting the realization of human security in Ethiopia.
The ambassador said the support was only the beginning and that Japan will continue to support the project, including other projects in the region, as well as other regions of the country.
Representing the foundation, David Winter who signed the grant agreement, said on his apart that the Japanese support came timely for those in need of medical assistance in the region.
"There are children who are suffering and never get medical treatment on the region," he said.
The project is said to serve as a pilot program to address the critical needs for access to emergency medical care for thousands of people in the Somali region living in remote rural areas in the event that they may be subject to life threatening accident or injuries, including injuries resulting from land mines.
Since 1989, the Government of Japan has been supporting not-for-profit organizations through its Grant Assistance for Grassroots and Human Security Projects based on its belief that human security must be given priority in the development effort, according to a press release from the embassy.
Human security means human-centered development, and the protection and empowerment of vulnerable people and communities, the press release said .
Source: The Daily Monitor, Mar 26, 2008