Japan Ambassador Seiji Okada challenges international community for more support to South Sudan
Tambura State, South Sudan - “I appreciate the warm welcome that I received from the people and the government of Tambura State. I am aware that World Vision has been very active with its projects here since 2015 benefitting school children and communities as a whole. Security is the key for Japan and World Vision to expand our assistance and I hope durable peace and stability will prevail in South Sudan so that the international community can accelerate its collective effort of assistance”, says His Excellency Seiji Okada, Japan’s Ambassador to South Sudan.
Thousands of people from Tambura State, among them 18-year old Janfa Arneyo, warmly welcomed Ambassador Okada during his visit on 25 September 2019 for the hand-over ceremony of the school facilities built through the support of the Japan Platform (JPF). Janfa says, "I believe that education is very important especially for girls like me. I want to become a governor someday and be a good leader supporting the education of children."
An estimated 4,000 children from the state now learn comfortably at 14 school buildings with a total of 56 classrooms in nine primary schools in Tambura State. They were constructed with accompanying 17 toilets divided to a total of 68 separate rooms for boys and girls. Six buildings were also constructed for temporary learning centers.
Tambura Governor, the Honorable Patrick Raphael Zamoi says proudly, “World Vision has brought our children from learning under the trees to the classrooms. Our teachers are also better trained. I am the happiest person today for the wonderful job that World Vision did with Japan’s support.” The state is one of the 32 federal states of South Sudan.
With the new classrooms, the State Minister of Education Honorable Richard Dazanga reported the significant increase of enrolment and retention, “In Kpangima Primary School, enrolment rose from 185 to 645 children.” It further states that dropout rate has been “reduced by 66 percent”.
Forty-nine teachers are undergoing the teachers training course and will further need funding support to complete one more year. The report further highlights better student performances in primary leaving examinations with as high as 93 percent passing rate. To encourage more girls to study, a boarding school is under construction but the ministry appeals for additional funding for its completion.
Ambassador Seiji Okada hailed the prevailing peaceful situation in the state which will allow children to go to school and encourage livelihood programs to flourish. He noted that Japanese businessmen have taken interest to Tambura’s products such as the organically-produced honey and other agricultural products.
World Vision’s Country Programme Director Mesfin Loha in his message says, “Today is about the children of Tambura State. It is about efforts to protect and develop the future generation. Projects like this, which create opportunities for the most vulnerable to access basic social services are one of the surest ways to build community resilience.”
He adds, “I would like to express our utmost appreciation to Japan Platform, the government and people of Japan for making this project a reality; and to the government of Tambura State led by the Honorable Governor Zamoi by standing with us and ensuring un impeded access and support to our program operations.”
World Vision’s presence in Tambura started in 2008. In the last 11 years, a total of 16 projects were implemented reaching out to over 250,000 people. Together with the government, World Vision currently runs eight ongoing projects covering health and nutrition, food security and livelihoods, food assistance and protection manned by 46 staff.
ENDS
Contact: Cecil Laguardia, Communications Manager, World Vision at cecil_laguardia@wvi.org or phone # +211922287768