Japan helps Georgia's disabled

On 22nd April the opening ceremony of the Independent Living Centre, part of the Project for the Establishment of an Independent Support Centre for Disabled Children, was held. This project is being implemented within the framework of the Grassroots and Human Security Grant Assistance Programme of the Government of Japan.

The ceremony was attended by H.E. Mr. Masayoshi Kamohara, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Georgia, representatives of the Ministry of Education and Science and members of related organisations.

The grant agreement for the above-mentioned project was concluded on 16th March 2006 between the Embassy of Japan and the NGO Anika. The aim of the project is to provide disabled people with vocational training through the establishment of an independent support centre. It is expected that 150 disabled children will directly benefit from the said project, which will cost 92,009 USD to implement.

Grassroots and Human Security Grant Assistance Programme grants are provided for relatively small-scale projects undertaken by municipalities, medical institutions, academic institutions and NGOs which aim to directly improve the living standards of Georgian people suffering from hardship. Such projects might be implemented in the fields of public health, medicine, elementary and secondary education, social and environmental protection, poverty reduction and increase of incomes. This grant programme began in 1998 and so far 94 projects worth 6,987,354 USD have been implemented under this programme in Georgia.

The total amount of Japan’s Official Development Assistance to Georgia is 337.6 million USD. This assistance covers a wide range of areas, such as improvement of the economic infrastructure, the agricultural sector, the social sector and the cultural field and human resource development.