Official Development Assistance (ODA)

Do they look like raising their hands　with ‘Yes!’? The girl students at a primary school are actually showing the importance of washing their hands. This girls’ primary school in Pakistan provides a unique educational environment, in which ‘learning by doing’ style is introduced. For example, the students learn the hygiene scheme through singing, and a ‘hands washing competition’ is held to reward the students who wash their hands the cleanest.

This school project is supported by a Japanese International NGO ‘AAR Japan (Association for Aid and Relief, Japan)’. Typical image of development support for schools could be to construct a school building or provide them school equipment such as desks and chairs. However this project provides an appropriate learning environment by equipping sanitary toilet, hand washing facilities and safe drinking water. Further, it promotes hygiene education, with slogans like ‘Wash your hands after using bathroom’ or ‘keep clean our classrooms by ourselves’.

With the ODA scheme of ‘Grant Assistance for Japanese NGO Projects’, the Government of Japan has funded this project by AAR JAPAN with approximately 154 million Yen for 3 years. The NGO is implementing 14 similar projects for public girls’ schools and Afghan refugees’ schools in Haripur District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. It will provide proper school environment for 3,000 enrolled girl students, and the in-coming students.

In Pakistan, there are a lot of school aged children who do not have any access to educational opportunities due to geographic and economic reasons. The Government of Japan has prioritized the assistance to the education sector in Pakistan. It is hoped that Japanese assistance helps more students keep studying, lead the progress in Pakistan.