Two educational facilities that offer supporting services to people with disabilities in Tongatapu, were awarded grants by the Japanese Ambassador to Tonga, HE Dr Kazuchika Hamuro, on Friday February 15.

A grant of US$117,060 was awarded to the Ngele'ia Primary School for the upgrading of classrooms and toilet facilities, and the Mango Tree Centre at Houmakelikao was awarded US$118,385 to upgrade its facility.

The grant contracts were signed by the Ambassador and the recipients, Mr In-Kwon Kim, from the Mango Tree Centre, Houmakelikao, and Lokuvalu Leha from the Government Primary School GPS, Ngele'ia, at the Embassy of Japan, Reserve Bank Building, Nuku'alofa.

Ngele'ia

Ngele'ia Primary School has a class that caters for children with learning disabilities at primary level. While Mango Tree Center offers various courses in Braille for those with visual impairment, computer classes for disabled youths and adults and physio therapy, among other services. The center is run by a Korean couple In-Kwon Kim and wife Jeong-Seok.

Dr Hamuro said Japan acknowledged the importance of proper educational facilities to ensure that people with disabilities are not neglected and have access to proper facilities to cater towards their rehabilitation.

He said that education empowers people to meet their own aspirations in life and that nobody should be excluded from the process, in order to achieve a just and equitable society. Japan's assistance supports efforts by the Government of Tonga to ensure basic human needs and achieve the Millennium Development Goals.

The projects are funded under Japan's Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects GGP, aimed to promote the well being of grassroot communities.