The Government of Japan has agreed to provide $754,321 to support the areas of education and agriculture in Cambodia, under the framework, The Grant Assistance for Japanese NGO Projects.

The Grant Contract was signed Friday between Japanese Ambassador to Cambodia Mikami Masahiro, and the representatives of recipient organisations, it added.

According to the press release, some $371,479 of the total amount will be given to Non-Profit Organisation Hearts of Gold Hearts of Gold to carry out the ‘Project on Developing 4-year University of Physical Education Course at National Institute of Physical Education and Sport (Year 2)’ by improving curriculum, training teachers and installing facilities for physical education.

Through this project, approximately 65 staff and 300 teacher trainees in the institute will be able to gain better learning environment for physical education. Also over 930,000 students in Cambodia are expected to receive more effective physical education.

For its part, the International Volunteers of Yamagata (IVY) will receive about $382,842 for the project ‘Support to the smallholder farmers through contract farming of organic cashew nuts through Agriculture Cooperation (Year 3)’.

In this project, IVY will promote organic cashew nuts cultivation and cooperative marketing among farmers in Preah Vihear province to increase their income and improve their quality of life.

For the final year of this three-year project, three newly added Agricultural Cooperatives (AC) besides ongoing 10 ACs will aim to obtain an organic certification and to establish a lasting production process control system that enables each AC to become an executing entity of continued cooperative marketing and production process management after the project period.

The Grant Assistance for Japanese NGO Projects started in Cambodia in 2002 to support activities by Japanese NGOs to help Cambodia’s reconstruction and development efforts at the grassroots level.

Since 2002, the Government of Japan has provided over $42 million for 133 projects, mainly in the fields of primary education, health, agriculture and mine clearance in Cambodia.