Qatar's Ambassador to Japan: QFF Donation Will Develop Future Leaders of Onagawa Town

Qatar's Ambassador to Japan: QFF Donation Will Develop Future Leaders of Onagawa Town

Tokyo/Information Office/04 October 2016/ Children are the future of the world, and Qatar is proud to support such an ambitious and innovative project in Onagawa Town in Japan, said HE Qatar's Ambassador to Japan Yousef Bilal. In a statement following the exchange of documents to donate USD 10 million towards new school in the heart of Onagawa between Qatar Friendship Fund (QFF) and the Mayor of Onagawa Town, and in the presence of HE Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, HE the Ambassador said this project aims to put children at the center of the community by nurturing their ambitions and helping to develop the future leaders of Onagawa Town. "The donation forms part of the QFF, a gift from the State of Qatar to the Japanese people to support relief efforts following the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, His Excellency said, adding that Mayor Suda and the people of the town have worked tirelessly to not only reconstruct and rejuvenate the local area after the Great East Japan Earthquake, but also to protect and support his local community. "There is a reason why residents in Onagawa have chosen to stay, and their passion for their hometown can be seen in this project. We have high hopes that this project will help to develop the partnership between Qatar and Onagawa, and foresee not only a stronger friendship, but the opportunity for educational, cultural and sports exchanges, as well as partnerships that continue long after the 2020 Tokyo Olympics." He added that the project is supported by the government of Japan and will benefit 400 students in Onagawa town annually together with 100 teachers and full time school staff members, saying that the planned project will see an integrated elementary and junior high school in Onagawa from 2020. The newly integrated school will be located at the centre of the community, vastly improving access to education and benefiting 400 students annually, he said, adding that the project to improve access to education for pupils in Ongawa has today received a major boost thanks to a USD 10 million donation from the Qatar Friendship Fund, which is supervised and managed by Qatar Fund for Development. Onagawa Town Mayor Suda remarked: "The first key objective of the school is to create a community where children are put first, are taught resilience and are able to learn the social skills needed to overcome hardships. The second is to provide an education system that supports all students and makes them feel safe, as well as providing peace of mind for parents. The third objective is to create a school facility at the heat of Onagawa townwhich the community can feel proud of, and that parents want to choose for their children." Qatar Fund for Development, a public development institution, is officially tasked with coordination and implementation of foreign development aid projects on behalf of the State of Qatar. The QFD has extended assistance to many countries in empowering populations through the promotion of education, healthcare, social services, infrastructure and economic development. The Qatar Friendship Fund (QFF) is a gift from the State of Qatar to the Japanese people to support relief efforts following the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. QFF aims to nurture hope for victims and offer direct assistance in a prompt, effective and sustainable manner. QFF underscores the strong friendship between the Japanese and Qatari people and, over a five-year period (2012-2016), will continue to focus on supporting the strategic priorities of child education, fisheries, healthcare and entrepreneurship. arenas.