Wednesday, March 4, the Japanese Ambassador accredited to Haiti Mizuno Mitsuaki signed a donation contract with the Japanese NGO "Peace Winds Japan", relating to the "Community Capacity Building and Resilience Project during natural disasters in the Department of the South of Haiti" which amounted to nearly 750,000 US dollars (746,279D)

Faced with the torrential rains that occur each year in the South region, the project aims to build capacity for disaster risk management, through technical training on construction methods for buildings resistant to hurricanes and floods as well as raising awareness among residents in the Commune of Chantal on adequate preparation and response to natural disasters.

Coming from an island country at high seismic risk, we Japanese have already faced various natural disasters including earthquakes, typhoons, and tsunamis. Thus, we are well placed to understand the gravity of the situation in Haiti after several natural disasters as well as the dismay of the population in the face of such situations. It is in this context that the Japanese Government has decided to support these activities once again with a view to sharing experiences, acquired skills and lessons learned.

IH/ iciHaiti