The Government of Japan has been providing funds to non-profit organizations such as NGOs, Schools, Medical Institutions and local governments through the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP) since 1989. This assistance was initiated in Somalia in 2015.
On 20th February 2017, the Grant Contract for GGP was signed by H.E. Mr. Toshitsugu Uesawa, the Ambassador of Japan to Somalia. The grant, valued at USD 82,991, will be provided to the Formal Education Network for Private Schools (FENPS), based in Mogadishu, Somalia.
The funding will be used for The Project for Expansion of Sahil Primary School for Displaced Children in Dayniile District. Through this project FENPS will construct six (6) permanent classrooms and eight (8) latrines and provide student furniture for Sahil Primary School, with the goal of improving the learning and sanitation environment for more than 500 children from IDP settlements in Dayniile District.
The United Nations High Commission for Refugees estimated that as of April 2016, Dayniile and neighboring Kahda Districts hosted over 104,000 internally displaced people. Of these, over 10,800 school-aged children in Dayniile District were found to be out of school by FENPS and Banadir Education Cluster in 2016. This number is expected to increase as the returnees from neighboring countries rises and IDPs, from areas affected by ongoing conflict and the recent drought, resettle in Dayniile District.
The current project aims to increase the enrollment of displaced children through the construction of permanent classrooms. Sahil Primary School was established in 2015 with community support and funding from UNOCHA Common Humanitarian Fund. Currently, the school teaches 325 students in 6 temporary iron-sheet classrooms and four toilets. The school is jointly funded by FENPS, which pays the teacher salaries and provides educational materials, and the community. Following the completion of the GGP project, the school will have six (6) additional permanent classrooms and eight (8) additional toilets. These improvements will allow Sahil Primary School to enroll an additional 200 displaced children from Dayniile District.
Ambassador Uesawa congratulated FENPS on being selected for this year’s grant. He wished them success and assured them of the embassy’s support during the implementation of this important project.
Distributed by APO on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.
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Source: APO – Africa-Newsroom: latest news releases related to Africa
