Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Japanese government hands over grants for three NGOs in South India

CHENNAI: The Japanese Government on Monday handed over grants to three NGOs in south India for implementing projects for the uplift of the underprivileged.

The Society for Integrated Development in Urban and Rural Areas (SIDUR) and the Mass Education and Organisation Society (MEOS) in Andhra Pradesh were given grants to the tune of $88,313 and $80,115 respectively while the Rural Uplift Centre (Tamil Nadu) was issued a cheque equivalent of $88,470.

Kazuo Minagawa, Consul General, Consulate General of Japan in Chennai signed the contracts with the representatives of the NGOs and handed over the cheque for the sanctioned amounts.

The signatories to the contracts were Thumaty Nanda Vardhan, SIDUR secretary, Arulappan Maria James, secretary, Rural Uplift Centre and Kolimi Khasimpeera, MEOS president.

The grants are being given under the Japanese Government’s Grant Assistance for Grassroots Projects (GGP).

Mr. Minagawa said the GGP, which was a financial assistance scheme conceived under Japan’s Official Development Assistance initiative, envisaged engaging local communities in programmes to improve their socio-economic situation. The beneficiaries of the grants include not-for-profit organisations such as NGOs, schools, hospitals and local government agencies.

Since inception in 1989, the GGP has issued grants to over 1,000 projects that have improved the lives of the underprivileged in areas ranging from poverty alleviation to healthcare and women’s empowerment. Pointing out that the GGP held particular importance for India, where one-third of the population lived in poverty, Mr. Minagawa said in south India alone the Consulate-General of Japan had provided funds to more than 92 projects since 1990.

Japanese Consul Tomonori Minowa was also present at the signing ceremony. The grants to SIDUR would go to construct a rehabilitation centre to house street children and disabled.

The proposed “Community Resource and Development Centre” will accommodate 150 street children and provide more space for disabled people.

MEOS which works in the arid district of Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh will construct a multi purpose resource centre to conduct training and awareness programmes for the community.

The project involves two dormitories for trainees, a training hall on the first floor with a capacity of 150 seats, dining hall and kitchen.

The NGO expects to impart training to about 1,200 community leaders, including self help groups.

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