JICA Maldives Office

As far as the eye can see, azure skies extend over turquoise waters. Somewhere along the waterline rises a floating cottage. Peering into the sea, you see groups of tropical fish draped in bright colors darting about the coral colored in vibrant reds, blues, yellows and greens. Back on the beach, the pure white sand is dyed red by the rays of the setting sun. While the Maldives are well deserving of such picturesque imagery, such views are unfortunately to be had only on the resort islands. On many of the residential islands, things are not so beautiful.

Although the Maldives are expected to graduate from their status of a developing country in 2011 thanks to the rapid growth of its tourism industry base, the outlook for the Maldivians is less favorable. At Malé, the capital of the Maldives, 150,000 residents are crowded onto a mere two square kilometers of land, skyward buildings are constructed on the crowded land and narrow walkways are overflowed with people. The waste and sewage produced on Malé is a major environmental problem as is the accumulation of waste on the other inhabited islands. With no disposal facilities, noncombustible waste, empty food bags, water bottles and other plastics wind up in the ocean.

A major difference between Malé and the other islands is the large disparity in the living infrastructure. On the other islands, electricity and water service are not served sufficiently, and many islands depend on rainwater for drinking. Electricity rates differ greatly among the islands, and roads are often unpaved.
Because of such circumstances, JICA began sending volunteer workers to the Maldives in 1982, mainly who are familiar with agriculture, forestry, fisheries, health and sanitation, education, culture and sports. In recent years, efforts have been put into infant and elementary education to build the human resources that will bear the future of the Maldives. As well, about 30 local educators and government-related people go to Japan each year for training, to build up the human resource infrastructure currently required.

On October 1, JICA underwent a change, taking on Japanese ODA Loans as part of their assistance. Today, projects are underway in the Maldives to continue the recovery from the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, which occurred off the coast of Sumatra.
While tackling the living infrastructure issues mentioned above such as water supply, sewers, electricity and waste disposal, we will further promote technical cooperation through people—experts, Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers and Senior Volunteers—and help the people of the Maldives build up their nation.
I hope this Web page has helped familiarize you with the issues that the people living in the Maldives face, not so easily seen behind the better-known image of a paradise. I also hope you will lend your support in our efforts to bring cooperation in developing the society here.

Makoto Nonobe, Resident Representative
JICA Maldives Office