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Japan has extended a grant of about BDT 13.8m (USD 115,723) to two Bangladeshi non-governmental organisations to support education-focused projects aimed at improving safety and access for vulnerable children, the Japanese embassy in Dhaka said on Tuesday.
The funding, provided under Japan’s Grant Assistance for Grass-Roots Human Security Projects (GGHSP), will support the procurement of school buses in northern Bangladesh and the expansion of an educational facility for former street children in Mymensingh district.
The grant contracts were signed on Tuesday at the Japanese embassy by SAIDA Shinichi, Japan’s ambassador to Bangladesh, and representatives of the two recipient organisations – SKS Foundation and Ekmattra Society.
SKS Foundation has received USD 51,981 for a project to procure two school buses for students of SKS School and College in Gaibandha district. The organisation works on issues including human rights, gender discrimination, poverty alleviation and community development.
According to the embassy, the buses will provide safe and reliable transport for primary-level students, many of whom live in remote and hard-to-reach areas. The initiative is expected to improve regular school attendance and reduce the risks children face when travelling long distances to school, particularly in rural settings with limited transport options.
Ekmattra Society has been awarded USD 63,742 to expand the Ekmattra Children’s Academy in Haluaghat upazila of Mymensingh district. The organisation supports children who have lived on the streets through open-air classrooms, children’s homes and a full-boarding academy, offering education from primary to higher levels alongside vocational and cultural training.
The project will address a shortage of classrooms at the academy by adding a first floor to the existing single-storey administrative building. The expansion is intended to improve learning conditions and increase capacity, enabling the academy to provide more comprehensive educational opportunities for former street children.
Japan’s grass-roots assistance programme has been active in Bangladesh since 1989, focusing on projects that enhance economic and social human security at the community level. To date, Japan has supported 223 NGO-led initiatives in the country under the scheme, with total funding amounting to approximately USD 17.7m.