August 06, 2006	Sunday	Rajab 10, 1427

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ISLAMABAD, Aug 5: The World Bank-administered Japan Social Development Fund (JSDF) would provide a total of $6.5 million in grant, financing four NGOs undertaking reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts in earthquake affected areas of Azad Kashmir and NWFP.

In this regard, two grant agreements worth $1.7 million were signed with the NGOs on Friday to gear up the reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts in the affected areas.

The JSDF agreements signed on Friday included a $767,000 project for promoting independent living among persons with disabilities. It will be implemented by Milestone Society for Special Persons.

This project would establish independent living centres in Mansehra and Bisham in the NWFP and Muzaffarabad and Bagh in the AJK.

The second project worth $1,000,000 was building community capacity for reconstruction, for Rural Support Programme Network.

The overall objective of the grant was to build the capacity of affected communities and vulnerable groups in reconstructing housing with hazard resistant techniques and standards.

The programme included hands on training for master trainers in seismically resistant housing construction design as well as technical consultation designed to improve the integration of rural development and planning into small community based infrastructure reconstruction programmes.

The remaining two agreements would be signed shortly, said a statement issued here.

The JSDF grants would finance improvement of services and facilities for poorer population groups at quake-affected locations.

“Japan has mobilised all possible programmes and resources in order to provide assistance to the earthquake victims in Pakistan.

The Japan Social Development Fund is part of the total assistance provided to the earthquake victims, amounting to approximately $200 million,” Japanese Ambassador Seiji Kojima said.

“I am very much impressed that the World Bank, local NGOs and the Japanese government have fully cooperated in preparing programmes to address this catastrophic disaster.

“I certainly believe they will help people with disabilities and will build the community capacity in the earthquake affected areas.”

The grants would be implemented through partnership between international and local NGOs working in the affected areas.

All the grants had a special focus on ensuing that the organisations receiving grant support build the capacities of local communities so that they could take forward medium-term to long-term reconstruction and rehabilitation work.

“Working in close collaboration with non-governmental organisations in the delivery of essential services to the poor and vulnerable sections of society becomes all the more important in the wake of a tragedy like the Oct 8 earthquake,” said World Bank Acting Country Director for Pakistan Ismaila B. Ceesay.

The government and its development partners fully appreciate the value of pooling resources and expertise with the civil society for helping affected communities rebuild their lives, the WB official said.