January to March 2013 | VOLUME 68

Japan InternationalCooperation Agency

JICA Nepal Office

InsIde• Satoyamaworkshop Page2• TIAmodernization Page3• Solarproject Page4• WASMIPmodel Page5• NewJICANepalchief Page6• Devotedtomission Page8

Quarterly Newsletter

JICA ODA loan in a gap of 12 yearsin Nepal, especially the storage typehydropower plants for meeting domesticelectricityneeds;balancingtheratioofRoRtype and storage type hydropower plants;and reducing the seasonal fluctuation ofelectricitysupply.

AspertherequestfromtheGovernmentofNepal, theGovernmentof Japanand JICAhaveagreedtoextendloanassistancefortheimplementationoftheTanahuHydropowerProject. Masataka Nakahara, DirectorGeneral, SouthAsia Department, JICA onbehalfofJICAandMadhuKumarMarasini,Joint Secretary, International EconomicCooperation Coordination Division(IECCD),Ministry of Finance on behalf oftheGovernment ofNepal signed theLoanAgreement amounting up to Japanese Y15.137 Billion on March 13. Similarly, theExchangeofNotesontheprojectwassignedand exchanged between Kunio Takahashi,Ambassador of Japan to Nepal on behalfoftheGovernmentofJapanandShantaRajSubedi, Secretary, Ministry of Finance onbehalfoftheGovernmentofNepal.

The repayment period of the loan is 40yearswith10yearsgraceperiodand0.01%interest rate. The project will construct astorage (reservoir) type hydropower plantwith the installed capacity of 140MW inTanahudistrictintheSetiRiver.

-Sourab Rana

Energy is one of the important humannecessities not only for household

consumptionbutalsoforindustrializationand overall economic development.Nepal, a mountainous country witharound 6,000 rivers and rivulets, hastremendous potential for hydropowergeneration. However, the economicallyfeasible hydropower generation capacityof42,000MWhasbeen likeamirage. It ishigh time for hydropower developmenttoputNepal’seconomyontrackandgivemomentumtodevelopment.

Withitsvasthydropowerpotential,Nepalcould be the ‘battery’ of South Asia bygenerating and supplying electricity toneighboring countries. But unfortunately,theso-calledbatteryofSouthAsiaitselfisreeling under long load shedding hoursaffecting thegeneralpublic, civic life andbusiness environment. The situation isworse in the dry season when the waterflow of the rivers is very low. The totalinstalled capacity of Run of River (RoR)-type hydropower plants in Nepal is 573MWamountingto86%ofthetotalinstalledcapacity of all the hydropower plants inthe country. On the other hand, storage-typeisonly92MW,whichis14%ofallthehydropower plants. Power supply is notstable throughout the year because RoRtype of hydro plant generates less than60% of the installed capacity in the dryseason.AlongwiththeRoRtype,sufficientstorage plants are required to stabilizeseasonalfluctuationof thepower supply.Considering the above scenario, it isutmost important todevelophydropower

(Contd on Pg 2)

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Satoyama workshop for biodiversity conservation- Nama Raj Adhikari

The project will also beco-financed by the AsianDevelopment Bank (ADB), theEuropean Investment Bankand the Abu Dhabi Fund forDevelopment. Among them,JICAisthelargestdevelopmentpartner and the first to signthe loan agreement. JICA’sportionincludesthewaterway,powerhouse and relatedequipment. The power plantwill boost the current powergeneration capacity in Nepal,which ismerely706MWasof2011, by 20 percent, and theprojectisexpectedtocontributetotheeconomicdevelopmentofNepalandimprovethelivesofNepalicitizens.

The new hydropower plantis expected to produce stablepowersupplyevenduring thedry season. For the first timein the country, the plant willintroduce a unique sedimentflushing system, which Japanhas developed over theyears. This advanced systemregularlydischargessedimentsaccumulated at the bottom ofthe reservoir to maintain thereservoir capacity. With thehuge opportunities, there arealso big challenges in termsof managerial skills, technicalstandardsandgeneralworkingenvironment. JICA believesthat the Tanahu HydropowerLimited,asubsidiarycompanyof the NEA responsible forimplementingthisproject,willsmoothlyandefficientlyhandletheproject.

In response to the Nepalesepeople’s desire for “dividendsof peace”, JICA decided toextendthisODALoan,thefirstinthelast12years.

(Mr Rana is Associate Program Manager of JICA Nepal)

Aworkshop on ‘Satoyama Initiative and itsPromotioninNepal’wasorganizedjointlybytheMinistryofForestandSoilConservation(MoFSC) and Japan International CooperationAgency (JICA) at Hotel Himalaya in Lalitpuron January 28. The main objective of theworkshopwas todisseminate informationandbuildawarenessoftrainingoutputsamongthestakeholders. Other specific objectives wereto promote understanding of the SatoyamaInitiative, the JICA Satoyama training courseand ex-participant’s action plan as well as toexchange information on the characteristics,issues and future development related toNepal’s socio-ecological production landscapethroughacomparisonwithSatoyamainJapan.

Theworkshopwasdividedintotwosessions—anopening session and a technical session.Atthe inaugural session, the organizer, guestsandthemissionmemberaddressedthecurrentSatoyama practices and its future prospectin Nepal. Secretary of National PlanningCommission Yubaraj Bhushal said, “TheJapanese Satoyama model will help increaseproduction by modernizing Nepal’s agro-system and natural resource management.”He maintained that new strategies will beformulatedtoprovide technicalcooperation inNepalbyanalyzingtheexchangeofknowledge,skillsandexperiencesbetweenJapanandNepal.He also committed to prioritize the Satoyamamodelinthe13thnationalplan.

At the same program, Japanese AmbassadorKunioTakahashisaidtheSatoyamainitiativeishelpfulinadvancingsocio-ecologicalproductionof landscape for people’s benefits. It is veryimportant in rural agro-production alongwithnaturalresourceconservationinNepal,hesaid.

Mitsuyoshi Kawasaki, Chief Representativeof JICA Nepal, said that the Satoyama

initiative would help Nepali people sustaintheir livelihood in a sustainable manner. TheworkshopwaschairedbyBiswoNathOli, theActingSecretaryofMoFSC.

The technical session saw three presentationsand subsequent discussion among theparticipants. Team leader of Satoyama follow-up mission Mitsuhiko Toda, JICA ex-traineeMegh Nath Kafle and Under Secretary ofMoFSCSagarRimal,intheirpresentations,shedlights on the Japanesemodel of the SatoyamaInitiatives,importanceoftrainingprogramsanditsapplicabilityinNepalandfutureprospectsofSatoyamainNepal.

The key to sustainable development throughSatoyama is to increase the pride of localcommunities and promote conservation ofbiodiversity. To do so, natural resourcesmustbedescribedindetailineachregiontoidentifywhatisuniqueorsuperiorandtorecognizethatvalue. It is alsonecessary to questionwhetherthecurrentmethodsforproductionanduseofregional resourcesare trulysustainableornot,and think about what should be improved torealize more sustainable methods. Thus, it isessential to integrate each region’s traditionalknowledgewithcurrentscientifictechnologies.

TheInitiativewilltargetsuchareasasvillages,farmland, and adjacentwoods and grasslandsthathavebeenformedandmaintainedthroughlong-termhumaninfluence.Theseuniqueplacesattheinterfaceofnatureandhumansettlementhavemany names; however, since there is nouniversal term to indicate such areas, we use“Satoyama”. “Satoyama” denotes mountains,woodlands,andgrasslands(yama)surroundingvillages(sato)inJapan.

(MrAdhikariisSeniorProgramOfficeratJICANepal)

A view of the dam site

(Contd from Pg 1)

Rural Nepal (left) and rural Japan (right) share striking similarities. Satoyama is a Japanese term which refers to rural landscape, where local people generate their livelihoods in harmony with the nature.

33

JICA aid for safer skies thru TIA modernization- Sourab Rana

Transport infrastructure is one of thepriorityareasofJICAinNepalasthis

sectoristheforemostengineofgrowthinany nation.Development of air and roadtransport isvery important in thecontextof Nepal, which is blessed with naturalbeautyanddiversegeography.

Nepal is the land of Mount Everest, thehighest mountain in the world and thebirth place of Gautam Buddha, apostleof peace and light ofAsia.Many foreigntourists from all over the world visitNepal to feel close to nature and see thehistoricalsites.Tourismisoneofthemostimportant andpotential sourceof foreigncurrency earnings for Nepal. It could beone of the leading vehicles for economicdevelopment and combating poverty inNepal.Therefore,inordertoboosttouristarrivals,airsafetyplaysavitalrole.Nepalhas seen a number of plane crashes,especially in the domestic airlines sector,resulting in the lossofprecious lives andproperties.Airsafetyisstilloneofthemainconcerns among the general people andtouristswhileflying to otherdestinationsinsideNepal.

With globalization shaping up the worldfor the past more than two decades, anincreasing number of foreign tourists arecomingtoNepalandmoreNepalesepeoplevisiting abroad. According to the CivilAviation Authority of Nepal, the aircraftmovement at the Tribhuvan InternationalAirport (TIA)has increased from6,884 in2002to22,792in2011.

Similarly, the domestic flight movementincreasedfrom47,841to79,260inthesameperiod.Apart fromother infrastructureattheTIA,oldairnavigationandsurveillancesysteminstalledwithJICAsupportin1997isoldandoutdated.Ithasalreadyservedwellforaround15yearsandnowtimehascometoreplaceitwithmoreefficientandmodern surveillance system. Moreover, ifthe currentoldnavigationandsurveillanceequipment breaks down, the TIA willexperience a huge setback, which couldtrigger the suspension of air connectivityby foreign aircrafts and undermine thecredibility of Nepal’s civil aviation sector,therebyaffectingtourismbadly.

In response to a request from theGovernmentofNepal, JICAissupportingfor the Tribhuvan International AirportModernization Project (surveillanceSystem) by installing new surveillancesystem (Monopulse SecondarySurveillance Radar or MSSR) at the TIAand Bhatte Danda (a hill top south ofKathmandu Valley) by extending grandaidamountingtoJapaneseYen989,000,000.Thisprojectwillgreatlycontributetowardsmaking Nepal’s air safer and reliable. AGrant Agreement was signed between

TsutomuShimizu,ChiefRepresentativeofJICANepalOffice,onbehalfof JICAandMadhu Kumar Marasini, Joint Secretary,International Economic CooperationCoordination Division (IECCD) undertheMinistry of Finance, on behalf of theGovernmentofNepalonMarch27.

Similarly,theExchangeofNotewassignedandexchangedbetweenKunioTakahashi,Ambassadorof Japan toNepal,onbehalfoftheGovernmentofJapanandShantaRajSubedi,Secretary,MinistryofFinance,onbehalfoftheGovernmentofNepal.

Through the grant aid, JICA is helping toimprovetheaviationsafety,strengthentheair transport capacity andmake air trafficservices effective in Nepal. Once the newsystems are installed, radars will monitorsmallaircraftflyingondomesticairroutesaswellasinternationalaircraftflyinginhighaltitude and extend en-route surveillanceup to 200 nautical miles (360 km). Thesurveillance system will be able to caterto the Central and Western DevelopmentRegions, almost all of the EasternDevelopment Regions and up to Dang intheMid-EasternDevelopmentRegion.Thiswill ultimately help make Nepal’s skiessafer and increase air space capacity, thuscreatinganotherimportantmilestoneinthedevelopmenteffortsofNepal.

A view of the new radar at the TIA

A graphic image of the new radar at Bhattedanda

4

Novel solar project handed over to govtProject for the Introduction of Clean

EnergybySolarElectricityGenerationSystem—the first and model projectconstructed in Nepal under Japan’sspecial Grant Aid for Environment andClimate Change—has been handed overto the Government of Nepal on January11.ConstructedatDhobighat,Lalitpur,theprojectaimstodemonstratehowrenewableenergy can add up electric power tothe national grid. Japan InternationalCooperationAgency(JICA)isthefinanceroftheproject.

SecretaryofMinistryofUrbanDevelopmentKishore Thapa, and Ambassador ofJapan to Nepal Kunio Takahashi jointlyinaugurated the system amid a program.On the occasion, Ambassador Takahashihandedover thekeys toSecretaryThapa.Joint Secretary of Ministry of UrbanDevelopmentRajKumarMallachairedtheprojecthandoverceremony.

Chief Representative of JICA Nepal

Mitsuyoshi Kawasaki,Executive Committeemembers of KathmanduValley Water SupplyManagement Board(KVWSMB), ChairpersonofKUKLBoardofDirector,Managing Director ofNepalElectricityAuthority,andManaging Director ofMarubani Corporation ofJapan,amongotherseveraldignitaries,gracedthefunctionwiththeirpresence.

The solar project is the first of its kind inNepal that produces 680.4 KW of solarenergyunderPhotovoltaic(PV)generationsystem at the existing open pond ofDhobighatandconnectstowatertreatmentsupplyfacilityatSundarighat,Kathmandu.ThePVsystemusessolarpanelstoconvertsunlightintoelectricity.ThetotalcostoftheprojectisJapaneseYen660million.Thesolarplantcameintooperationafterasuccessful

commissioningtestonJune,2012.

The electricity generated by the plant isbeingsuppliedto thenearbySundarighatWater Treatment Plant of KUKL and thesurplus energy is transferred to the griddistribution network of Nepal ElectricityAuthority.ThePowerPurchaseAgreement(PPA)wassigned lastSeptemberbetweenKathmandu Valley Water SupplyManagement Board,which is responsibleorganization to execute the project, andNEAattherateofRs.5.10perunit.

5

DWSS promoting WASMIP model

The WASMIP Model has been wellrecognized by the Department of

Water Supply and Sewerage (DWSS). Itconsists of the tools to establish supportsystemoftheDWSStowardsWaterUsersand Sanitation Committees (WUSCs) andmanagementsystemoflocalwatersupplyutilities. The support and managementsystems were established under theWater Supply Improvement Project(WASMIP),whichisfinancedbyJICAandimplementedbyDWSSundertheMinistryofUrbanDevelopment(MoUD)since2010.The Joint Terminal Evaluation of theproject comprising officials from DWSSand JICA concluded thatWASMIP easedDWSS into mainstreaming the supportand management system at differentbureautratic levels. The March 3 JointCoordinating Committee (JCC) meetingconcluded that since theWASMIPmodelwas successfully piloted in Jhapa andMorang,theGovernmentofNepalwouldscaleupthesysteminotherdistricts.WASMIPwas implemented in Jhapa andMorangtostrengthentechnicalcapacityofDWSS to supportWUSCs throughWaterSupply and Sanitation Division Office(WSSDO)andtoimproveserviceefficiencyof three WUSCs—Mangadh (Morang) aswellasGauradahaandDhulabari(Jhapa).In line with the first objective, WASMIPprovided Training of Trainers (ToT)to officials of DWSS, Center of HumanResource Development (CHRDU) andWSSDO. OJT, hands-on training andthird country training in Cambodiawere

organized on issueslike O&M of WTPand distributionfacilities; waterquality monitoring;implementation ofmid-term/long-termbusinessplan,tonamea few. Workshopsand conferenceson monitoring andevaluation werealso held in Jhapaand Morang toenhance verticalcoordination among

DWSS, CHRDU, WSSDO, WUSCsas well as horizontal coordinationamong stakeholders. The support andmanagement system (collectively calledWASMIP model) were shared, reviewedanddiscussed.In an impetus to DWSS to formulateDirectives on Operation ofWater SupplyServices-2012, WASMIP activities havehelped in realizing the importance ofeffectivecoordinationbetweenWSSDOandWUSCsandaregularmonitoringofwatersupplyutilities to improvedurabilityandservice delivery. The Directives stressescoordination and regular monitoring ofwaterserviceproviders.Accordingly,MIT,MAT (Management Advisory Team) andMET (Monitoring Evaluation Team) havebeenformedatdistrictandcentrallevelstostrengthenmaintenanceandinspectionofwaterfacilities,provideadviceonbusiness

management and conduct monitoring.These activities, likely to be reflected inthe new Operational Guidelines of theDirectives, are considered the tools toimplementtheDirectives.Regarding service enhancement of threepilot WUSCs, WASMIP Expert team andthe trainersorganizedhandson trainingsto them. Other 17 WUSCs of Jhapa andMorang also received capacity buildingtrainings on O&M of Water Treatmentfacilities; water quality testing; electromechanical skills; efficient billing andcustomer ledger; development of SOPs,formulation and implementation ofbusinessplans.ThreeWUSCs—Mangadh,Dhulabari andGauradaha—have significantly increasedtheir efficiency in terms of finance,service delivery, water supply andwaterquality. For instance, under-resourcedGauradaha WUSC is financially andtechnically sustained now with 24 hoursofwatersupplyandservingforover1,270connections.Effective utilization of the SOPs,implementationofBusinessPlan,frequenthandsontrainingsandregularmonitoringof performance indicators have beenfound as major contributing factors forthe service enhancement and technicalcompetence. Successful implementationofWASMIPmodelinthetwodistrictshasthusstimulatedthegovernment to liftuptheactivitiesinotherpartsofthecountry.

(Ms Pokhrel is Program Officer of JICA Nepal)

-Bidhya Pokhrel

Health Caravan in five districts

NewS IN bRIef

MeSSAge fROM New JICA NepAl ChIef

6

JICANepaloftenorganizesVolunteerCaravanaspartofitsefforttoworktogetherwith local stakeholders espousing the ‘Hatemalo’ spirit.AHealthCaravanwasconductedby12 JICAvolunteersworking in thehealth sectoronFebruary17-24infivedistricts.TheCaravangotoff to aflying start fromThankot (Kathmandu)andlaterwenttoDhadingbesi(Dhading),BandipurandDamauli(Tanahu),Pokhara(Kaski)andfinallyendedinBaglung.

TheCaravanmembersareworkingatPrimaryHealthCareCenters(PHC),maternaland child clinics and schools. Through their daily activities, the volunteers pindownwomen’sproblemssuchaschildbirth,birthcontrol,abortion,lifestyle-relateddiseases likehighbloodpressureanddiabetesandsoon. Inorder to tackle theseproblemstogether,theCaravantargetedwomen’sgroupsandheldlecturesessionsonpregnancy,familyplanningandphysicalexercise.

Similarly, thevolunteers conducteda simplehealthcheck-upbymeasuringbodyandbloodpressureandgavewomentipsonhealthylifestyleandbalanceddiet.Theeventwasagreatopportunityforthemembersofwomencooperativestoknowtheirownbodyandacquiretheusefulknowledgeonhealth.

Inaddition,primaryandsecondaryschoolchildrenhadclassesonhealth,sanitationandHIV/AIDS.To informthechildrenon the importanceofwashinghandsaftertoilet andbefore eating, thevolunteers stagedadrama.The childrenenjoyed thedramaandlearnedwaystowashhandsproperly.

Here for peace and prosperityNepal and

Japansharea long historyof friendship.The first contactdates back to1899 whenReverend EkaiKawaguchi, aJapanese ZenBuddhist,visitedNepal on his

waytoTibet.DuringthecourseofcollectingSanskritmanuscriptsandBuddhist scrollsin Nepal, he suggested the then PrimeMinisterBirShumsherJungBahadurRanatoextendexchangeprogramwithJapaninthefieldofscienceandtechnology.In1902,the Government of Nepal had sent eightNepali youths to Japan for study. Alongwith acquiring education onAmmunitionTechnology, Mining, Agriculture,Mechanical Engineering, Ceramics and

Chemistry, they also brought back seedsof Japanese fruits and flowers such asPersimmon and Chrysanthemums, whicharestillpopularinNepal.

After the two countries establisheddiplomatic relations in 1956, theGovernment of Japan extended variousassistance to Nepal in which JICA hasbeenactingasacatalyst forchangebeingthe implementing agency of Officialdevelopment Assistance (ODA) of Japan.Withinthelastmorethan40years,JICAhascontributedtowardsNepal’sdevelopmentin different areas and strengthened therelationshipbetweenthepeopleofthetwocountries.

Nepal has a huge potential for a steadyeconomic growth by fully utilizing itsrich natural resources such as water,diverseenvironmentandworldheritages.These resourceswill provide tremendous

opportunitiestoNepalforthedevelopmentofseveral industriessuchashydropower,agriculture,tourism.

AftertheComprehensivePeaceAgreementwas signed inNovember2006,Nepalhasbeenmarching towards lastingpeaceanddemocracy, which are essential elementsfor economic development. JICA isaiming to achieve the sustainable andbalanced economic growth along withthe consolidation of peace and steadytransitiontoademocraticstate.

Inordertorealizeourvision“InclusiveandDynamic Development” in Nepal, JICANepalwillcontinuetoprovidemaximumsupport to the Nepali people and thegovernmentforpeaceandprosperity.

Shimizu TsutomuChief RepresentativeJICA Nepal

SRCAMP trainees visit Japan

Media policy draft discussion, dissemination

7

The Project for the Master PlanStudy on “High Value Agriculture

ExtensionandPromotioninSindhuliRoadCorridor” (SRCAMP) is in its final stageof implementing the pilot activities andpreparethemasterplanforthefourprojectdistricts—Kavre, Dolakha, Ramechhapand Sindhuli. Themain objectives of thepilotprojectsare toverify thevaliditiesofthe approaches proposed in Draft BasicDevelopment Strategy (DBDS), reflect thelessons obtained through implementationofpilotsfortherevisionofDBDS,establishthe referentialmodel in the promotion ofHighValueCropsanddevelopthecapacityof government officials in planning,implementationandmanagementof thesepilotsprojects.

As usual in the several cases, withoutstrengthening the capacity of theimplementingpartnerssuchastheextensionworkers,districtlevelgovernmentofficials

Nepal’smedia sector is still inneedofeffective laws and regulations. In its

effort to revitalize this sector, Media forPeaceProject(MeP),atechnicalcorporationproject of the Government of Nepal andJICA, implemented under theMinistry ofInformation and Communications (MoIC)isworkingondraftinganewmediapolicyandrevisingtherelatedmedialawsforanaccurate, impartial and freemedia for thedemocrizationprocessinNepal.

Till the third Project Year (Nov 2010-Oct2013), the draft of a new media policyand concepts on the Acts of nationalbroadcasting, print and publication,advertisement, cinema, radio andtelecommunications, public servicebroadcasting(PSB)havebeendisseminatedthroughseveralroundsofinteractions,therecentstakeholders’meetingsinNepalgunjofBanke,GodavariofLalitpur,BirtamodofJhapaandanexpertmeeting inNagarkotofBhaktapur.

In the workshops, participants principallyagreed on the media policy draft.

and farmers representatives, it could bedifficult to implement the projects withnew approaches and strategies. TheSRCAMP is basically aiming to promotethe high value agriculture products inthe corridor areas,where farmerswouldbe able tomake best use of the Banepa-Bardibas highway. In this connection,19 participants comprising governmentofficials, extension workers and leadersfarmers,whoaremanagingthepilotsites,weresenttoJapanforanexposurevisitinJanuaryforabouttwoweeks.Theyhadanexposure towhole ranges of agriculturaldevelopment such as agriculturalwholesale market, cooperativesmanagement,vegetableproductionundergreenhouse, organic farming, livestockfarmingandsoon.Itisbelievedthatthoseparticipantshadadequateexposuretothemodern agricultural practices in Japan,which could be easily and appropriatelyadaptedintheSRCAMPprojectareas.

Stakeholdershavealsoprincipallyendorsedthe proposed draftwith divided views onsome issues such as foreign investment,subsidy/cross-subsidy, structure of MediaCommission, structure of PSB, socialinclusiveness and media of remote areas,frequencyauctionandcross-ownership.Theconveningoftheexpertmeetingasaforumfor sharing of experiences and conclusionsofthepreviousthreeinteractionswasawell-thoughtoutprocessthathelpedsubstantiateconclusionsofthepreviousdiscussions.

However, the Nagarkot interaction drewa consensus that these issues need to beaddressedintheproposedpolicyandlaws.Therearestilldiverseopinionsregardingtheissuestobeincorporatedinthepolicy.Themodality of further consultations has beenplanned through the formal consultationcommitteemeeting on the initiation of theMoICandmorediscussionswillbeheldtodrawconcretecomments.

ThedraftmediapolicyandActshavebeenplanned to be approved inAugust by theJointCoordinatingCommittee.

Incoming and Outgoing Staff

Man Bahadur Lama Krishna Lamsal

JICA Nepal wishes to extend a warm THANK You to outgoing Chief Representative of JICA Nepal Mitsuyoshi Kawasaki (August 2010-March 2013) who has been transferred to JICA Pakistan.

JICA Nepal welcomes the new staff member:

JICA Nepal thanks the outgoing staff:

An agreement for the Support for the Improvement of Primary School Management (SISM-II) Project was signed on March 11 between the Ministry of Education (MoE) and JICA. Maha Shram Sharma, MoE Joint-Secretary, and Mitsuyoshi Kawasaki JICA Nepal Chief Representative (August 2010-March 2013), in the presence of officials from both the sides, signed the agreement.

As recommended by the terminal evaluation of the project to scale up the SISM model in other districts, the Government of Nepal requested the Government of Japan to that effect. On the occasion, Joint-Secretary Sharma stressed for continue cooperation with JICA and expressed interest in budget support. Likewise, the JICA side thanked the government for making SISM a grand success stating that this project is technical cooperation for the School Sector Reform Program (SSRP) and emphasized the need of replicating the lessons nationwide set by SISM-I.

JICA to continue SSRP contribution

KarmachariSanchayaKoshBuilding,Hariharbhavan,LalitpurP.O.Box450,Kathmandu,NepalTel:977-1-5010310Fax:977-1-5010284Website:www.jica.go.jp/nepal/englishEmail:np_oso_rep@jica.go.jp

Japan International Cooperation Agency Nepal Office

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for what you would like to see in future issues, please do not hesitate to write us.

whAt the JOuRNAlIStS SAyDevoted to mission come what may

A9.0-magnitude earthquake andtsunamionMarch11,2011,slammed

their country and nearly wiped outtheir hometown, claiming lives of morethan 15,000 people and leaving a trailof destruction, when they were milesaway from home. Though they were noteyewitnessestothedisasterandthetragedyaftermath, they could feel the traumatheir familiessuffered in IwatePrefecture,northeastern Japan. As their earthquake-stricken relatives lived in tsunami rubbleamid tears and litany of grief fearingaftershocks, JICA volunteers KanjiMurakami, Tomoko Sato and TomoyukiKaneta wore a brave face and continuedearning immeasurablesatisfactionand joythrough their works in Lalitpur, PokharaandKathmandurespectively.

Picturesofuninhabitablehouses,dispiritedpeoplewithoutroofsovertheirheadsandstreetsstrewnwithrubble inIwatewouldoftenflashthroughtheirmind.Sometimestearswouldpourdowntheireyeswheneverthey thought of their birthplacewith rawemotions for their families. However, theemotional wreckage they experiencedduringtheirstayinNepaldidn’tdenttheircourage as they stuck on their missionwhileworkingwiththeircounterpartsandNepali people and remaining optimisticaboutspeedyrecoveryoftheirhomeland.

Troublebackattheirhomeneverdeterredthem from donating their time, energyand skills to build better communities inNepal andkepton sharing theirvaluableskills and knowledge with Nepalisliving and working together with the

- Santosh Chhetri

local communities. Their desire to makedifference in the lives of people inNepalremained priority over the sufferings oftheirfellowcountrymenbackathome.

Murakami, Sato and Kaneta recentlycompleted their two years of assignmentin Nepal. While Murakami workedat National Society for EarthquakeTechnology Nepal as an earthquakedisastermitigationexpert,SatoandKanetaworked with Western Regional Hospitaland Nepal Agriculture CooperativeFederationasseniornurseandcommunitydevelopment worker respectively. Ofcourse the earthquake and tsunamisaddened everyone but at the end of thedayonehastolearntostayput,theysay.

The three JICAvolunteersdeserveahugepatontheirbackforstayingdevotedtotheirmission in Nepal to create opportunitiesand a brighter future for the poorest andneedy people despite their families andrelativeswanted them around during theworsthardtimetheylivedin.

(Mr Chhetri is Public Relations Consultant at JICA Nepal)

Kanji Murakami Tomoyuki Kaneta

Tomoko Sato