On April 19, representatives of the Senior Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) and the Japanese American community who have returned to Japan were received by Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress at the Imperial Palace to report on their activities in the countries to which they were dispatched. The meeting between the JOCV members and Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress has continued since the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) was first established in 1965.
The Senior Overseas Cooperation Volunteers and Japanese Community Senior Overseas Cooperation Volunteers who returned to Japan this time were affected by the global spread of the new coronavirus infection and were forced to temporarily return to Japan or stay in Japan, but overcame the coronavirus disaster and engaged in activities in the countries where they were sent.
Their Majesties were met this time by four Senior Overseas Cooperation Volunteers and one Senior Japanese American Community Overseas Cooperation Volunteer who were deployed to countries in Asia, Oceania, Africa, and Latin America. Prior to the meeting, they met with JICA President Akihiko Tanaka at JICA Headquarters (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo).
Front row from left: Ms. Konya, Chancellor Tanaka, Ms. Nishida, and Mr. Aoki,
Back row, from left: Mr. Otsuka, Director General, Mr. Fujimoto, Mr. Kogahara, Mr. Tachibana, Secretary General, Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV)
Contributing to improved maternal and child health, protecting the health of expectant mothers and their children
Ms. Shiho Konya (dispatched to Laos, occupation: midwife, from Yamaguchi Prefecture) was assigned to a maternal and child health center under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Health in the capital Vientiane, where she provided support to improve maternal and child health care. In order to improve the level of local staff and strengthen maternal and child health services, she traveled to Laos with her assignee and World Health Organization (WHO) staff to conduct training mainly for pregnant women, newborns, and infants. We also visited maternity wards and neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) at the hospitals we visited to provide support for kangaroo mother care and guidance on midwifery and postpartum care. Observing kangaroo mother care at a regional hospital
Working with local staff to improve health insurance services
Chie Nishida (dispatched to Micronesia, occupation: pharmacist, from Kyoto Prefecture) was assigned to the only general hospital in Kosrae State, where she taught local staff how to properly manage pharmaceutical products. At the beginning of her dispatch, she first worked to normalize the pharmacy operations, as there were some issues with inventory control and pharmacy management by staff without medical training in the absence of a pharmacist. Subsequently, we worked to improve the knowledge of physicians and pharmacy staff, to manage inpatient medications, and to provide training opportunities for pharmacy staff. Discussing pharmaceuticals with the chief physician of the hospital to which the pharmacy is assigned
Classical music opportunities for students and children
Ms. Yuko Aoki (dispatched to Jamaica, occupation: music, from Iwate Prefecture) was assigned to the Edna Manley College of Arts in the capital city of Kingston, where she was mainly involved in teaching piano performance in the Music Department. She provided piano instruction to students, organized concerts and other events that mobilized faculty members to improve the educational environment, and promoted collaboration among faculty members. In addition, in order to provide children with opportunities to experience classical music and musical instruments, we discussed with local colleagues and collaborated with a nearby high school. We provided instruction to students interested in piano performance and held concerts to which families and school officials were invited. Students who were taught to play the piano after the concert to showcase their achievements
Aiming for sound upbringing of youth through teaching experience in Japan
Mr. Yoshiaki Fujimoto (dispatched to Cameroon, occupation: elementary school education, from Osaka Prefecture) was assigned to the Mfundi District Elementary Education Office, which has jurisdiction over elementary schools in the capital city of Yaounde, where he worked with local teachers to conduct physical education, music, arts and crafts, math, and other classes at elementary schools in the city. He also provided administrative guidance for the office, guided the preparation of curricula and plans, compiled educational statistics, and conducted teacher training. In particular, we promoted and established understanding of the importance of emotional development for the sound upbringing of young people in elementary education by proposing teaching tools and other items that would enhance the effectiveness of classes, and by planning class workshops and training sessions. An origami class for teachers at the elementary school to which we were assigned
For the promotion and development of kendo in Argentina
Ken Kogahara (Argentina, occupation: kendo, from Tokyo) was assigned to the kendo club of the Nichia Institute of Buenos Aires, located in the capital city of Buenos Aires, where he worked to improve the skills of kendoka in and outside of his assigned area, to increase and promote the kendo population, and as an examiner at promotion exams. He also served as an examiner for kendo promotion and dan examinations. He was also involved in the planning and operation of the Nikkei International Sports Friendship Tournament held in February 2023, and contributed to the success of the event. A kendo skills seminar for young kendoka and instructors
After the meeting, participants commented that “Their Majesties listened to my report earnestly, and I was able to talk about our activities, which encouraged me in the future,” and “Their Majesties asked me various questions, and I was impressed and encouraged by their great interest in the activities of the returned participants.
© Source JICA
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