Latest batch of JICA volunteers arrive

Latest batch of JICA volunteers 

The latest batch of JICA volunteers arrived in Sri Lanka on 24 January. These young Japanese volunteers are here to provide services in their specific fields of expertise. JICA volunteers are sent to developing nations as a part of the Japanese Government’s Technical Cooperation Program, and their activities are aimed at providing assistance in economic and social development at grassroots level. All such volunteers undergo prior training in the languages of their host countries, and with regard to Sri Lanka, they conduct their activities in Sinhala or Tamil, depending on the region they are assigned.

This new batch of two JICA volunteers will be engaged in the provision of services in the field of Japanese Language Education and Music. The volunteers will be attached to institutions coming under the Ministry of Education. Both volunteers will work in Sri Lanka for a period of two years. Currently there are 47 volunteers working in all nine provinces, and since the introduction of the program in 1981, over 1,100 JICA volunteers have served in Sri Lanka.  

On 22 February, two Japanese young volunteers were introduced to their host organisations at the assigning ceremony, which was held at the Department of External Resources (ERD). The occasion was graced by ERD, JICA and officials representing the volunteers’ host organisations and other institutions. The volunteers introduced themselves and expressed their determination to carry out the two years’ assignment in Sinhala language.

After the ceremony, the volunteers start working in each Sri Lankan host organisation and, they commenced work on 23 February.