Ruto briefed on Japan’s volunteer program

NAIROBI, KENYA: The Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCVs) on Wednesday paid a courtesy call on Deputy President William Ruto at his official residence in Karen.

JOCV is one of JICA’s programs aiming at providing technical assistance in developing countries at the grassroots level.

The purpose of the courtesy call was to brief Ruto on current JOCV activities in Kenya as well as to commemorate the Program’s 50th Anniversary in Kenya.

The first Volunteers were dispatched to Kenya in 1966, and since then more than 1600 have worked in Kenya in various fields.

The Volunteers support JICA’s five main thematic areas of Health, Agriculture, Human Resource Development, Economic Infrastructure and Environment and Water.

There are currently 57 volunteers deployed across the country, working together with counterparts to build the capacity of the host organization and living with the local communities.

The Volunteers had an opportunity to present their activities and experiences working mainly in rural Kenya, where they use their creativity to inspire others and act as a bridge between Japan and Kenya.

With Kenya having launched its Kenya National Volunteers Program last year, there is indeed a lot to share as we look forward to scaling greater heights of development especially through the youth resource, which Kenya is endowed with.

In attendance was the Japanese Ambassador to Kenya, Tatsushi Terada and JICA Kenya’s Chief Representative, Hideo Eguchi.