The Japanese government has decided to grant assistance totalling up to USD 300,800 (equivalent to around Rs. 84 million) to five local NGOs for development projects in Pakistan.
Three projects aim to rehabilitate areas affected by the 2022 Pakistan floods.
The grant contracts were signed between WADA Mitsuhiro, Ambassador of Japan to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, and representatives of the five NGOs at the Embassy of Japan in Islamabad on March 5, 2024.
READ MORE — Pakistan aims for a comeback against Jordan in today’s World Cup Qualifier
The five NGOs undertaking the projects are:
- Association for Behavior & Knowledge Transformation (ABKT)
- Fortified Services for Reforms & Transformation (FSRT)
- Actions For Human Advancement (AHAT)
- Lok Sudhar Association
- Safe Hands Foundation
ABKT will receive a grant of USD 63,518 (equivalent to around Rs. 17.7 million) to reconstruct three flood-damaged suspension bridges in District Upper Dir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. This project aims to enhance the safety of school children and local community members during natural disasters such as floods, providing a safe passage to school for children and locals.
FSRT will receive a grant of USD 60,506 (equivalent to around Rs. 16.8 million) to reconstruct a flood-affected school building for girls’ primary education in Malakand Division, District Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. This project aims to improve the overall literacy rate of Swat, a city with one of the lowest literacy rates in Pakistan, by providing a safe learning environment for school children.
AHAT will receive a grant of USD 57,684 (equivalent to around Rs. 16 million) to reconstruct a flood-affected primary and middle school in Tehsil Jampur, District Rajanpur, Punjab. This project aims to enhance the learning environment for children in one of the most flood-affected areas during the 2022 floods in Pakistan.
Lok Sudhar Association will receive a grant of USD 51,407 (equivalent to around Rs. 14.3 million) to establish an ophthalmology operation theatre to expand eye care facilities in Havelian, District Abbottabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. This facility will provide accessible and affordable eye-related treatment, particularly cataract surgery, improving the health sector in the area.
Safe Hands Foundation will receive a grant of USD 67,685 (equivalent to around Rs. 19 million) to construct a primary school building to promote child education in the village of Khaisata Gul Kalay, District Khyber in KP. The project aims to provide a school building with a solar system to accommodate approximately 200 primary school children, including those currently studying in open-air classrooms, in one of the most deserving and vulnerable areas.
At the signing ceremony, His Excellency, WADA Mitsuhiro, expressed his expectation that these development projects, in cooperation with local communities, would positively impact the living standards of Pakistani people at the grassroots level.
The Japanese government will continue to provide flexible and timely support to local NGOs through grant assistance to improve the social well-being of the people of Pakistan at the grassroots level.
