MONROVIA, Montserrado – The Japanese government and four local NGOs in Liberia have signed a US$348,613 grant under the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Project that aims to impact the health care and livelihood of Liberians in the affected communities.
The signing ceremony took place on Wednesday, February 28, 2018 at the Methodist compound on 13th street.
Ambassador Tsutomu Himeno signed on behalf of the Japanese government while representatives from each of the organizations signed on behalf of their respective organizations. The four organizations are Community Health Initiative, Community Safety Initiative, Peer Vision Educational Network Liberia, and Nay-Yougor Wulakellen Empowerment Program.
The grant will see the construction of a US$90,670 youth development center in Grand Bassa’s first district; the US$83,890 rehabilitation of a 7.4 km feeder road from Cotton Tree, Margibi to Gwolista, near Gbartala, Bong; the construction of a US$83,154 institute to care for people living with HIV/AIDS in Kakata, Margibi; and the construction of a maternal and child health center in Mabahn Kabah District, Margibi that is worth US$90,899.
Speaking Wednesday at the signing ceremony, the executive director of Community Health Initiative, Naomi Tulay-Solanke, said the maternal and child health center will serve 50 patients daily, many of whom currently have no access to a health facility.
Also speaking was the executive director of Community Safety Initiative, Samuka Blama Sannoh, who thanked the people of Japan for the assistance. His organization will be implementing the youth development center in Grand Bassa.
J. Lincoln Klemn, the executive director of the Nay-Yougor Wulakellen Empowerment Program, thanked the Japanese government for the pledge to rehabilitate the feeder road.
He said the lack of accessible feeder roads in the area has often created transportation nightmares for people who need urgent health care. He said the existing 7.4 km road was constructed in the 1960s by a logging company which is no longer active in the area. Many of the log bridges along the road have been damaged, he said.
“The community is presently without safe drinking water, [and there are] no school and health facilities for its under-privileged population since 1847, because local and international donor institutions cannot easily reach inaccessible rural areas,†Klemn said.
Himeno, who serves as the ambassador of Japan in Ghana, said the four projects were established to improve the lives of ordinary people.
He thanked the local organizations for their efforts so far and pledged his country’s continuous support to working with local organizations across the country.
The projects are expected to soon begin within their respective communities.
Featured photo by Sampson David
