Qatar Friendship Fund (QFF) inaugurated Tuesday the Sendai Education Centre, a new center for education in the city of Sendai, Japan. The center is one of ten projects initiated by QFF as part of the $100 million assistance extended by The State of Qatar to the Japanese people to help communities affected by Tsunami disaster and Japan earthquake in 2011.
At the outset of the ceremony which was held in the city of Sendai, Japan, Hassen Al Hummaidi, on behalf of HE Qatar’s Ambassador to Japan Yousuf Mohamed Bilal, who is also head of QFF, handed over the keys of the center to Japanese officials.
The event was attended by Ms. Emiko Okuyama, the Mayor of Sendai, in addition to representatives from the “Junior Achievement Foundation.”
In a statement on this occasion, HE Qatar’s Ambassador to Japan Yousuf Mohamed Bilal described the city of Sendai as a dynamic city in in Miyagi prefecture, adding that young population in Sendai and its surrounding contribute around $700 million to Japanese economy.
“This prefecture was a key contributor to local economy before the earthquake that struck Japan in March of 2011,” he added.
He pointed out that the center was built through the support extended by Qatar to Japan to encourage those who are living in this part of the country, stressing that such support was as a clear indication on the close relations between Qatar and Japan, which dates back to more than forty years.
“Our relations with Japan have been growing day by day,” HE the Ambassador said, adding that Qatar was one of the first countries that responded to the appeals for relief assistance in the wake of the disaster in March 2011.
He further said that students in Sendai center would learn more about this special friendship between the two countries which are based on strong trade links and has expanded to include many other areas such as research and development, culture and sports.
The Centre is part of Elem Project, an experience-based educational program, run by Junior Achievement Japan, Iwaki municipality and Sendai municipality.
The center is designed to give students in Japan the opportunity to experience life lessons and gain skills that will be crucial to them in the future.
It also aims to spread the spirit of hope for the region which lost 15,884 people from its citizens in the wake of the devastating earthquake that reached 9 on the Richter scale and the tsunami that struck eastern Japan in March 2011, through the initiatives and projects to help Japan to recover economically after the damage amounted to $309 billion .
This funding has been established through a grant of $1.4 million provided by the Qatar Friendship Fund, which was set up in partnership with The Junior Achievement Foundation, Japan, a non-profit organization working to educate young people about the importance of setting up companies through various educational programs.
Source: QNA