The Government of Japan will provide grant assistance of approximately 76.4 million rupees (equivalent to $295,430) to the development projects of five non-governmental organizations in Pakistan.
The grant agreements were signed between ITO Takeshi, Charge d’Affaires of Japan in Pakistan and representatives of the five NGOs at the Embassy of Japan here.
Five NGOs including Rural Aid Pakistan, Timber Development Welfare and Conservation Society, Hana Development Council, Saiban Development Organization and Dir Area Development Organization will implement these projects.
Rural Aid Pakistan will receive a USD 65,617 grant (equivalent to approximately Rs. 17 million) for the installation of solar irrigation systems in four agricultural villages in Narowal District, Punjab.
The project will improve agricultural infrastructure in an environmentally friendly and sustainable manner, thereby contributing to increasing farmers’ incomes through efficient growth of food crops.
The Timber Development Welfare and Conservation Society will receive a grant of $51,907 (equivalent to approximately Rs 13.4 million) for the construction of check dams and protective walls for disaster prevention and an incinerator for sanitation in Chitral District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The project will increase security when natural disasters such as sediment runoff due to heavy rainfall occur, and also help protect the environment through proper waste disposal.
The Hina Development Council will receive a grant of $49,489 (equivalent to approximately Rs. 12.8 million) for the installation of electricity facilities in seven villages in Mandi Bahauddin District, Punjab.
The project will provide electricity to villagers and improve their quality of life, for example, by enabling them to turn on lights at night and use household electrical appliances and farming equipment. Saiban Development Organization will receive a grant of $56,418 (equivalent to approximately Rs. 14.6 million) to pave one kilometer of link road in Mansehra District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The project will provide local people with better transportation infrastructure, and then make it easier and safer for children to go to school, as well as improve access to medical facilities and cities.
Dir Area Development Organization will receive a grant of $71,999 (equivalent to approximately Rs. 18.6 million) for the construction of a micro-hydropower station in Upper Dir District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The project will provide reliable, low-cost and environment-friendly electricity to local people.
Its availability would allow them to turn on lights at night and encourage them to use heating devices instead of bonfires in winter. The Government of Japan will provide more flexible and timely support to local NGOs through grant assistance to improve the social welfare of the Pakistani people at the grassroots level.
