The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Saint Lucia Office was pleased to welcome two new Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers.
Mr. Yuki Oka and Mr. Kota Higa are both trained and qualified professionals in varying technical and corporate disciplines.
They are expected to spend a month in Saint Lucia, after which will be assigned to the country of Saint Vincent, where they are expected to complete a two-year tour-of-duty.
Mr. Yuki Oka who specializes in the field of Marketing, will be assigned to the National Society of and for the Blind; and Mr. Kota Higa who specializes in Automobile Maintenance will be stationed at the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Community College.
The Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) was inaugurated in 1965, and is a principal program of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Commenting on the importance of the JICA/JOCV Programme to the region, the Officer responsible for Corporate Communication, Mr. Glen Lake stated: “All of our volunteers work at the local level within the countries that they are assigned to, this way, they are best able to meet the needs of that particular country.”
Mr. Lake continued: “When I speak about the programme, I tend to often use the phrase “together with the local community” the JICA volunteers live and work together with the communities in the country to which they are sent, they speak the same language of the community and carry out activities with an emphasis on raising self-reliant efforts while fostering mutual understanding.”
