JICA Bhutan Newsletter is a monthly newsletter published by the JICA Bhutan Office and updated electronically on the JICA Bhutan website. It serves to better link all JICA Bhutan partners by offering briefs and current news on different sectors of JICA and the RGoB. It is for information purposes only and is not an official document. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of JICA. To join our e-mail based subscription, please contact at <bt_oso_rep@jica.go.jp>. Your comments and feedback are welcome.

JICA schemes Grant Aid

Loan

Technical Cooperation Projects

Training Programmes

Development Studies

Emergency Disaster Relief

Follow-up Cooperation

Volunteers Program

JICA members in Bhutan as of February 2014 JICA office staff: 17 (8 Internationals; 9 Nationals) Experts: 9 Senior Volunteers: 11 JOCVs: 29

JICA target areas in Bhutan Agriculture and Rural development Infrastructure development Local governance Social services development (health, education and IT)

February-14 Vol. X-2

According to the survey done by World Health Organization, every year, an estimated fifteen million babies are born pre-mature worldwide, and over one million babies amongst them die annually from pre-mature birth complications.For the premature new born babies, low temperature and cold wind, especially during winter seasons are very adversive and somtimes causes difficulties for them to keep thier bodies warm.To make a difference in the lives of a premature babies, JICA Volunteers are taking an initative to conduct a workshop for knitting at the Youth Centre starting this month. Keeping our feet and head warm can make our whole body warm and increase the body temperature and protect them form the harsh winters .The JICA volunteers and their counterparts have made it their goal to help keep the new borns warm. This year the World Health Organization has set November 17th as the World Premature Day and on this day JICA volunteers are aiming to handover one thounsand knitted caps and socks to the mothers of Bhutan with the premature babies born.In order to reach their goal, every Saturday from 3pm onwards, JICA Volunteers along with other volunteers will gather at the Youth Centre and start knitting to achieve this goal.

Mission 1,000 underway..........

The First Joint Coordination Committee(JCC) Meeting was held on February 7, 2014, for the Project “Capacity Development of GLOF and Rainstorm Flood Forecasting and Early Warning, at Energy Conference Hall, Ministry of Economic Affairs.

Started in October last year, the technical coop-eration project since then has been deepening the understanding on the project activites among relevant stakeholders, counterpart assigning project from different ministries and agencies, conducting surveys to verify the locations on the early warning systems.

The members from DHMS, DDM, DoES, DGM, GNHC, NLCS and two Dzongkhags, actively discussed the various issues surrounding the project implementation. In addidtion, the meet-ing approved the detailed specification of the equipment to be set-up along the Mangdechhu and Chamkharchhu.

Following the signing of the Agreement between Tarayana Foundation and Japanese Non Profit Organization, BUSSI-EN in December last year, the project was officially launched in early February 2014. Following the introductory visit in Bhutan bym BUSSI-EN, Tarayana Representatives also visited BUSSI-EN in Japan to build understanding on social inclusion concept.s to Japan. This support is under JICA Partnership Progra, (JPP), which is one of the schemes that JICA provides to link betwen Japanese agencies/municipalities and agencies in developing countries.

JICA Bhutan Office hosted JICA Volunteer Program Meeting in South Asia from 26th to 28th February 2014 at Thimphu. This meeting is being conducted every two years in South Asia region and organized by JICA country office from the region. This year, the main purpose was to share current status of JICA volunteer program and discuss various issues in the region as well as country specific.

Mission team from Secretariat of JOCV in Japan led by Mr. Masaaki Matsushima, Exective Advisor to the Director General, and Ms. Naoko Ueda, Director of Asia and Pacific Division, led a series of sessions and had very fruitful discussion among participants. Ms. Yumiko Asakuma, Chief Repsesentative of JICA Bhutan Office and Mr. Masayuki Hasegawa, Volunteer Coordinator delivered a presentation about case studies of support to volunteers. During their stay in Bhutan , members of Secretariat visited volunteers’ activity sites in Paro, Thimphu and Phunaka.

Participants included members from JOCV Secretariat at JICA HQs and volunteer coordinator/JICA representatives from Bangladesh, Nepal,India, Sri Lanka and Maldives.This meeting is expected to contribute to the further development of JICA volunteer program in South Asia.

Newsletter Team

Kinley Dorji, Chief Program OfficerKrishna Subba Admin Officer Chenga Lham, PR Officer

For more information

Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)P.O. Box 217, Doy-bum Lam, Above Memorial Chorten,Thimphu, Bhutan

Tel: (975) 2-322030, 323218, 328074, 324571,324463Fax: (975) 2-323089Website: <http://www.jica.go.jp/bhutan/index.html>

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Joint Coordination Committee meeting for the project “Capacity Development of GLOF and Rainstorm Flood Forecasting and Early Warning”

Start Of Differently-abled People’s support

JICA Volunteer Program Meeting for South Asia Division held in Thimphu