Japan-funded project for special students inaugurated
Lahore: Japan-funded grass roots assistance project for provision of a school bus especially for the intellectually challenged students of Fukuoka School in Lahore was inaugurated here on Friday.
The government of Japan under its Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP) Program had provided financial assistance of US$80,236 to Lahore Association Pakistan, a non-governmental organization, for implementing this project.
Yusuke Shindo, Chargé d’Affaires. Embassy of Japan in Pakistan, in a ceremony handed over the keys of school bus to the management of Lahore Association Pakistan and also exchanged views with the special students and staff of the Fukuoka School.
The Government of Japan had extended this financial assistance in year 2016 for the provision of transportation facility in Fufuoka School where 50 intellectually challenged students receive special education, speech therapy and life skills training.
Earlier, a small van could accommodate only 25 students of the school for their pick and drop. To overcome the challenge of safe transportation facility for the students, the Government of Japan has contributed US$80,236 for the purchase of a new school bus to ensure that children with special needs have access to safe transportation facility.
Yusuke Shindo while speaking on the occasion congratulated the special children, their parents and the NGO representatives for the successful completion of this project. He emphasized upon the need of creating conducive environment where children especially intellectually challenged get an opportunity to use their true potential in the society.
He also expressed his hope that this project would not only help special children deliver their best like other children but also strengthen the friendly relations between the people of Japan and Pakistan.
The GGP Program is an initiative of the Japanese government with the belief that in consideration of the enormity of the challenges being faced by the world today, development assistance should not only be limited to governments, but also be channeled to the grassroots level through civil society organizations.
Since it began in 1989, the Embassy of Japan in Pakistan has supported more than 370 projects under the GGP Program, with a contribution of more than 2.7 billion Japanese Yen.
