October 21th, 2014
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Japan GGP official commissioning of the Water Supply System for Vaimalo village, Vava’u
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On August 19th 2015, the Government of Japan and the people of Vaimalo village celebrated the official commissioning of the upgraded water supply system installed for the village, funded through Japan’s Grant Assistance for Grass-Roots Human Security Projects, or GGP. H.E Mr. Yukio Numata, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the Kingdom of Tonga attended the commissioning ceremony in Vaimalo on behalf of the people and the Government of Japan. Present also at the ceremony were Hon. Dr. Saia Ma’u Piukala, Minister for Health who is also the People’s Representative for Vava’u Constituency #14 in the Parliament, and the community members of Vaimalo village.
His Excellency Mr. Numata, in his keynote address congratulated the completion of the project and stated that, “This assistance will enhance the communities’ hygiene capacity and strengthen people’s accessibility to a reliable source of water. Vava’u is exceptional because it has vibrant civil society groups and communities that are committed to the island group’s development resulting in not only greater cooperation with Japan, but also smooth and secure implementations of projects by Japan.”
Japan’s Grant Assistance for Grass-Roots Human Security Projects, GGP was introduced in 1989, in response to the distinct nature of development needs of grassroots communities in developing countries. To date a total of 261 GGP Projects in such fields as education, medical, and health have been implemented for the welfare of grassroots organizations and communities in the Kingdom of Tonga.
Hon. Dr. Piukala thanked the Ambassador for the generous assistance from the people and Government of Japan, where the community of Vaimalo will now have 24 hours access to clean water supply. Vaimalo village sought for Japan’s assistance to upgrade the deteriorating water supply system installed in 1996.
This assistance epitomizes Japan’s commitment to support efforts by the People and the Government of the Kingdom of Tonga to ensure Human Security and to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.END.
Project Fact Sheet (PDF)