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Japan News Release
16th October 2012
Japan Supports Access to Safe Water and Coffee processing in Western Uganda
The Embassy of Japan is to hand over two projects in western region of 202,707 USD: one for installing rain water harvesting tanks in Kisoro district (US$96,546) today, and the other in Kasese for alleviation of poverty through coffee processing (US$106,161) on 18 October.
H.E. Kazuo Minagawa, the Ambassador of Japan to Uganda, will officiate the commissioning of these projects.
Nyarusiza sub-county in Kisoro district has only one existing water system with 5 water tap stands. There are no spring wells and it is impossible to drill boreholes because of the volcanic nature of the underlying rocks. Through the project by InterAid Uganda, 8 water harvesting sheds have been constructed and 36 water tanks installed at 17 sites including the 8 community water harvesting sheds, 3 major churches, 1 health centre and 5 primary schools. The project will improve access to safe water for more than 40,000 people in Nyarusiza sub-county.
Kyalhumba sub-county, Kasese District, was seriously devastated in the civil war by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) insurgency during the 1990s and the people of Kyalhumba were forced to leave their villages and live in refugee camps as internally displaced persons (IDPs). Since 2000, the central government has taken up measures to resettle them, but their life remains very hard and poor as their farming land and infrastructure have not been fully recovered. Through the project by Bukonzo Joint Cooperative Micro-Finance Society Ltd which supports agricultural activities for the resettled IDPs in the district, a Coffee Processing Block has been constructed, and Roasting, Grinding and Packaging Machines procured in order to add value to the coffee produced in Kyalhumba sub-county, benefiting more than 20,000 people in the community.
The donation by Japan is part of the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP), a scheme administered by the Japanese Embassy to support community development projects to uplift the life of grassroots people. So far, a total of 158 projects have been funded under the scheme since its initiation in Uganda in 1992.
Japan, steadily promoting ownership of and partnership with African countries through Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) process, is committed to boosting economic growth, achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and consolidating peace and good governance in Africa.
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The hand-over ceremony for Kisoro will take place at Rurenbwe Primary School, Nyarusiza Sub-County starting at 3:30pm, on 16 October, while in Kasese, the ceremony will take place at Bukonzo Joint Cooperative Coffee Processing Factory, Kyalhumba Sub-County starting at 9:00am, on 18 October.
Your media house is kindly invited to cover this function.
Please find details of the projects attached.
For more information, please contact:
Ms. Yunia Masembe (Public Affairs Section) yunia.masembe@kp.mofa.go.jp
Ms. Yuki Tanaka (GGP Section) tanaka.yuki@kp.mofa.go.jp
Embassy of Japan in Uganda http://www.ug.emb-japan.go.jp/
P. O. Box 23553, Kampala
Tel: 0414-349542/3/4, 031-2261564/5/6
The Project for Installing Rain Water Harvesting Tanks in Kisoro District