A grip on training at Vasdraai

The resettlement community at Vasdraai in the Gobabis district, earlier this week inaugurated their own training centre, sponsored by the Japanese government.
The Farmer Training Centre was developed by Komeho Namibia Development Agency which is funded by the Government of Japan through its grant assistance to the Grassroots Human Security Projects Programme. The Ambassador of Japan, HE Hideyuki Sakamoto officiated presenting the training centre’s keys to the Omaheke Governor, Hon Festus Ueitele.
Komeho Namibia Development Agency which was founded in 2002 with the main purpose of improving and developing facilities in rural communities in Namibia, will be responsible for managing the training centre and providing agricultural vocational training to the disadvantaged black farmers and to the youth of other minority groups in the community like the Bushmen.
This week the Embassy of Japan said its government has allocated an amount just exceeding N$1 million to support disadvantaged black farmers and the youth of minority groups in its contribution to mitigate the impact of poverty and unemployment.
Education and economic empowerment are some of the priority areas for the Government of Japan in its extension of grassroots assistance. These grants are intended to assist NGOs and local authorities to address development needs in a prompt and comprehensive manner in areas such as education, health, water supply, climate change and in a variety of other local needs. The grant scheme, introduced in 1989, prioritizes human security for vulnerable and marginalised people.
To date, the Embassy of Japan in Pretoria has supported NGOs and local authorities in Namibia with 47 projects. This function reverted to the Embassy of Japan in Namibia which was only opened last year. In its first year (2015), the Embassy provided N$3 million in assistance to several projects in education and agriculture.