JICA’s “Grassroots Technical Cooperation Program” celebrates its 20th anniversary in December 2022. This is a project in which JICA is entrusted with cooperative activities in developing countries planned by Japanese NGOs, private organizations, local governments, universities, and others, and implemented jointly by these organizations. To date, 531 organizations have participated in 1,368 projects in 77 countries around the world. In recent years, an increasing number of organizations have been applying the knowledge gained from their activities in developing countries to solving issues in Japan.
A scene from a training program to improve the self-awareness of Filipino children, conducted by NPO Action through JICA’s Grassroots Technical Cooperation Project.
Civil Society Knowledge and Experience for International Cooperation
JICA started the Grassroots Technical Cooperation Program in 2002 to promote international cooperation utilizing the knowledge and experience of citizens. JICA also launched the Grassroots Technical Cooperation Project to promote international cooperation that makes use of the knowledge and experience of citizens.
Miwa Hiasa, Director of the Citizen Participation Promotion Division of JICA’s Domestic Programs Department, says, “The great significance of this program is that it allows us to meet the needs of local residents and communities in developing countries in detail with the help of NGOs and local public organizations.
While ordinary financial and technical cooperation projects are implemented based on requests from partner governments based on their recognition of the issues they face, grassroots technical cooperation projects originate from proposals made by NGOs, local governments, and other organizations that have excellent knowledge of the field and specific technologies in developing countries. Therefore, grassroots technical cooperation projects have the advantage of covering community-level needs and specific technology needs in detail, which are often overlooked by the partner government in the process of project formulation. Another advantage is that the proposed organization is responsible for the implementation of the project, so its knowledge can be fully utilized,” says Hiasa.
Miwa Hiasa, Manager, Citizen Participation Promotion Division, JICA Domestic Programs Department (affiliation at time of interview)
Return knowledge gained from activities in developing countries to the domestic market
For implementing organizations, joint projects with JICA have strengthened their credibility in the host country, and JICA’s support for project expenses has led to the development of activities and the strengthening of organizations. In addition, an increasing number of implementing organizations are trying to apply the experience and knowledge of international cooperation gained through grassroots technical cooperation projects to solving issues in Japan.
For example, in Vietnam, the city of Tsuyama in Okayama Prefecture is conducting a nursing care prevention project through the “Steady Body Exercise” program. In Vietnam, where the population is rapidly aging, we are training leaders to promote “exercises for preventing nursing care,” arranged in a form suitable for Vietnam. At the same time, we are being asked by the Vietnamese side for advice on how to set up day care centers that people can commute to from their homes. If we can provide them with training and work experience in the Japanese nursing care field in preparation for the establishment of a day care center in Vietnam, it could be a valuable opportunity for the Japanese nursing care field, which is suffering from a shortage of human resources,” said Section Chief Hiasa.
In addition, Nishino Corporation in Wakasa Town, Fukui Prefecture, feels threatened by the loss of traditional wooden building techniques due to the aging and declining population, and is providing technical assistance to young Laotians to pass on these techniques. At the same time, the company accepts Laotian youths in Wakasa Town and provides them with training in renovating vacant houses. Furthermore, we are developing a project to revitalize the local community by utilizing vacant houses.
There are many examples of organizations that have achieved personal growth through the implementation of grassroots technical cooperation projects, and here is one good example.
Gymnastics leaders from Bodé district, Long Bien district, Hanoi, perform the Vietnamese version of “Steady Body Gymnastics” at a meeting to report the results of a grassroots technical cooperation project.
Training Accredited by the Philippine Government to be Expanded Nationwide
In 1994, when he was a senior in high school (age 17 at the time), Mune Yokota, the president of NPO Action, was strongly shocked by the news of the eruption of Pinatubo volcano in the Philippines. He went to the Philippines by himself to work as a volunteer to restore an orphanage that had been damaged by the volcano, and established Action at the age of 18. Since then, he has continued to support war orphans in the Philippines, Kenya, Rwanda, and other countries.
In the Philippines, the gap between the rich and the poor is so great that many children in poverty are involved in violence, crime, human trafficking, abuse, etc., and are taken into care in orphanages. However, rehabilitation and social reintegration programs at the institutions are not sufficient, and the children are unable to escape from poverty.
Therefore, Ms. Yokota started the “Power of Scissors” project to train beauticians in the Philippines in cooperation with beauticians in Japan. She has also developed a number of projects, including training therapists to work in spas.
Filipino children under the guidance of a professional Japanese hairdresser at “The Power of Scissors
In 2012, 2016, and 2021, the program was adopted as a grassroots technical cooperation project, and for about three years each, “houseparent (facility staff) training” was provided to staff working in child welfare facilities in the Philippines.
At the time, there was no qualification system for staff working in orphanages and other child welfare facilities in the Philippines, and no appropriate training or regulations were in place. In 2012, in the Luzon region of the central Philippines, and in 2016, in Metro Manila, we launched a houseparent training program to provide training on knowledge of children’s rights and related laws, as well as skills that are useful in day-to-day work, such as child care and child rearing methods. These activities were highly evaluated by the Philippine government, and the program was finally stipulated as a national training program.
Starting in 2021, the same training is being implemented throughout the Philippines.
Houseparent training conducted by NPO Action. Group work to illustrate, present, and clarify the various environments and other factors surrounding children at the facility.
Gaining trust through grassroots technical cooperation projects
I knew about the Grassroots Technical Cooperation Program, but I thought I would apply for the program when we would be working with the Philippine government, ministries, and local governments on projects that would have an impact that would move the country. I thought that in order to improve the environment for children living in orphanages, training for facility staff was needed throughout the Philippines, and I decided that now was the time to apply. In fact, the fact that it was a joint project with JICA was very helpful in gaining the trust of the Philippine government,” says Yokota.
Action’s local subsidiary is currently a member of the Philippine government’s Juvenile Justice and Welfare Law Council, which he says was a recommendation in recognition of the results of the grassroots technical cooperation project.
“My position in the government has increased the credibility of our organization in the Philippines. Through the Grassroots Technical Cooperation Project, we have made connections with many local organizations and expanded our network,” said Yokota.
And Action, an NPO, is also focusing on projects in Japan, drawing on the knowledge of its activities in the Philippines. Training materials for the Philippines are translated into Japanese and provided to children’s homes in Japan. It also provides learning support for Japanese children and promotes understanding of international cooperation in Japan by accepting volunteers and selling fair trade products.
“When I used to work in the Philippines assisting indigenous people, a tribal elder said to me, ‘What are you doing for your own country? If you can’t improve your own country, how can you improve other countries? With those words, I developed an honest desire to work for Japan as well. Starting with tutoring at an orphanage in between visits back to Japan, I have now been able to expand my business while making use of my experience in the Philippines,” said Yokota.
Mr. Hajime Yokota, representative of NPO Action, Inc. He responded to our online interview from the Philippines.
A Society Where International Cooperation Becomes More Accessible
Up to now, many grassroots technical cooperation projects have been implemented within Asia, but it is expected that more projects will be implemented in Africa and other highly vulnerable countries in the future.
In addition, as Japan’s population continues to decline and the number of people with foreign roots working in various fields increases rapidly, there is a growing number of projects related to the acceptance of foreign human resources with an eye on Japan. Schemes in which organizations working to solve problems in developing countries accept people from those countries into their local communities are also helping to revitalize Japan’s local economies.
The new Development Cooperation Program Guidelines, revised in June, also calls for “strengthening solidarity with civil society” in order to realize co-creation, and further calls for strengthening cooperation and promoting participation by civil society in the field of international cooperation. What is needed is “more people to participate in international cooperation. What is needed, according to Mr. Hiasa, is “to make international cooperation more accessible to as many people as possible.
First of all, I would like to let people know that there are many different challenges in the world. We have implemented grassroots technical cooperation projects for 531 organizations, and a variety of organizations have been active in the field of international cooperation. We would be happy if people could develop even the slightest interest in international cooperation through the reporting sessions held by local NGOs and local governments in their neighborhoods.
It is difficult to make international cooperation your own unless you are a party to it. If you increase the number of countries, places, and people you know, and if you can picture scenery and faces when there is a disaster, etc., you can create a feeling of worry. I believe that by first interacting and having contact with people from other countries in the community where you live, you can increase the number of people who are interested in international cooperation,” says Yokota.
Forum on training materials conducted by NPO Action as part of its grassroots technical cooperation project. Participated by Philippine ministries, local governments, local NGOs, etc.
JICA will continue to promote and expand the base of participation in international cooperation with a view to giving back to Japan as well as cooperating with developing countries, by further strengthening cooperation with civil society in the course of its grassroots technical cooperation projects.
© Source JICA
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