KARACHI, Feb 1: Hiroshi Azuma, Minister for Embassy of Japan, has stressed need for strengthening educational and health care facilities at the grassroots level; prerequisite for meaningful development of any country.

He stated this while inaugurating recent expansion in a school for working children, functioning in Zia Colony under supervision of a local NGO Health Oriented Preventive Education (HOPE).

The project comprising a maternity home and clinic besides school for working children belonging to Zia Colony and its vicinity had been initiated by the organization through the support of Japanese government some five years back. The project, sponsored under Grass Root Assistance (GRA) Programme of Japanese government, later also started stitching classes and separate educational facilities for adolescent girls, who otherwise were not allowed by their parents to attend the school.

The recent expansion in the school, currently catering educational needs of 400 children, included construction of a new building at a plot adjacent to multi-storeyed HOPE Centre.

Addressing the excited young students and their parents, mainly comprising of daily wage earners and labourers, Hiroshi Azuma said that the projects focussed at human development and uplift of the lowest economic ring would continue to be supported by the Japanese government under the GRA Programme.

Vice Consul General of Japan Takahiro Koyama and Chief Economist of Japanese Embassy Sardar Waseem also accompanied Hiroshi Azuma.

HOPE Coordinator Dr Mobina Agboatwala said computer classes had also been introduced for the community at the newly established school building. She said besides the working children and some street children, young students also include those parents who could not afford expenses of their education.

Dr Agboatwala said there were 45 girls in the sewing class and medical assistance was being provided to around 25,000 to 30,000 people annually at the HOPE clinic. They were mainly people of the colony and surrounding locality.

She expressed her gratitude to the Embassy of Japan which through its GRA provided grants to the HOPE during the last five years.

Sardar Waseem said that major focus, under the GRA Programme, was at social sector and funds were now being also provided to projects working for manufacture as well as implant of artificial limbs. —APP