Volunteer Program

JICA volunteer program is one of Japan’s technical cooperation schemes operated as part of its Official Development Assistance (ODA). The program dispatches eager Japanese citizens who wish to participate in assisting developing countries and also have the calls for assistance from their governments.
This year of 2025, it is 60th anniversary since the program was inaugurated in 1965.

On December 25th,1965, 5 JICA volunteers were dispatched to Lao PDR as the first dispatch volunteers in the world. Since then, as of January 2025, more than 57,000 JICA volunteers have worked alongside local communities in 99 countries and regions.

Since the scheme started in Lao PDR in 1965, more than 1,000 JICA Volunteer have been dispatched to serve in most provinces nationwide. JICA Volunteer in Lao PDR are assisting in different technical fields such as Health, Education, Community development, Agriculture, Sports, Youth activity, ITC, and Environment, to contribute to the social and human development of the country.

JICA Volunteer program has unchanged three objectives since 1965.

1.To cooperate in the economic and social development, as well as the reconstruction of developing countries.
2. To deepen mutual understanding and coexistence in cross-cultural societies.
3. To give back the volunteer experience to society.

As summarized by the phrase “together with the local community “, JICA volunteers live and work at the grassroots level, speaking the same language as the local communities and carrying out activities with an emphasis on fostering self-reliance for sustainable change.