Press Releases

» Handing over ceremony of a New School Bus to Fiji Vocational and Technical Training Centre for Persons with Disabilities

The Government of Japan will provide a new school bus, worth US$86,357.00 (approx. F$146,000.00), under its Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP) Programme to the Fiji Vocational and Technical Training Centre for Persons with Disabilities, to cater for the transportation of the disabled persons to and from the Centre.

The Ambassador of Japan, H. E. Mr. Masashi Namekawa, will officially handover the school bus to the President of the Fiji Vocational and Technical Training Centre for Persons with Disabilities at 10:00am on 21 June, 2006 at the Centre, Brown Street, Suva.

The new 18-seater school bus which is equipped with a lift for wheel chairs, will help ease the current transportation problems faced by the school and the students. It is anticipated that each year around 95 students will benefit from this project.

Japan’s assistance to this project indicates its commitment to contribute to the improvement of the living standards and welfare of people in Fiji Islands and is in line with its Official Development Assistance (ODA) policy of promoting development at the grassroots level. The GGP programme is specifically designed to address basic human needs, which include water supply, health, basic education, vocational training and rural infrastructure. It is hoped that this assistance will help further strengthen the friendly ties between the governments and the people of Fiji and Japan.