adminAshley Mujoma and Tanaka Mahanya
ABOUT 550 volunteers from the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) programme are in the country to help develop human resources capacity in various sectors, including education.
The JOCV programme has been in Zimbabwe for 33 years and deploys Japanese citizens to fields such as academics, agriculture, ICT, vocational training and sports.
JOCV is programme under the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and aims to provide technical assistance to help with the social and economic development of developing countries.
The Covid-19 pandemic has affected the number of volunteers, but JICA is expecting that the number will triple in future.
Since the first dispatch in 1965, over 54 000 volunteers have been dispatched to nearly all developing countries and in more than 160 technical fields.
JICA country representative, Shigeki Furuta, said the project will benefit the two countries.
“They are transferring skills to the people, but not only that because they learn Zimbabwean culture and take it to Japan,” he said.
Bongani Ndlovu
Mathew Masinge