Official Trip to Yap of Ambassador Suzuki

Ambassador Eiichi Suzuki traveled to Yapfrom March 18th to 21stto make Courtesy Calls on Governor, Speaker of Yap State Legislature and other officials and also to attend two Grant Contract signing ceremonies to sign over two grants to the Division of Public Health of Yap State and Yap Women’s Association. The grants were approved through Japan’s Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects.

The first grant contract signed on March 19, 2012 for “Project for Health Care Service Improvement” in the amount of $39,580 will be provided to the Division of Public Health to purchase a vehicle that will travel the long distances to the villages to provide medical services such vaccination and preventive healthcare in a sanitary environment. As the villages in Yap are many yet so far in distance, many villagers are not able to easily get to the State Hospital and also, the awareness for preventive healthcare such as vaccination have not been able to reach the villagers as well. It is the hope of both the donor and receipientthat the provision of this vehicle will improve this situation.

Subsequently, Yap Women’s Association (YWA) also received $112,000 for the “Project for Construction of Multi-purpose Facility to Promote Women’s Independence in Yap State” signed over on March 20, 2012.  This project is aimed to address a multitude of issues namely the empowerment and the protection of the women and children; in the way that it can serve as a shelter for women and children suffering from domestic violence; and it will also serve as an evacuation center during natural disasters such as typhoons.

At the ceremony for the “mobile clinic”, Yap State Governor Anefal presented remarks and the grant was signed by Mr. Dominic Taruwemai, Deputy Director of Yap Department of Health Services and for anotherceremony for the “Project for Construction of Multi-purpose Facility to Promote Women’s Independence in Yap State”, Yap State Legislature, Speaker Falan presented remarks and the grant was signed by Mrs. Anefal, President of Yap Women’s Association.