Dear All,
My name is Miyako KOBAYASHI and I am the Chief Representative of JICA Laos Office following my appointment to this role on March 1, 2024.
Laos is the ASEAN member state holding the rotating chairmanship for 2024. Meanwhile, the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Japan and Laos and the 60th anniversary of the dispatch of the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCVs) will be celebrated in 2025.
As we mark these important milestones, JICA Laos seeks to communicate the outcomes of JICA’s cooperation activities, both domestically and internationally.
Laos was the first country in the world to welcome a dispatch of Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCVs) on December 24, 1965, and to date, 1,065 people have been dispatched to Laos.
In addition, JICA has seen some 628 Lao students return home after completing their studies in Japan, including via the Project for Human Resource Development Scholarship (JDS).
JICA is committed to further strengthening our human network, valuing these “human treasures", or in other words, human resources.
Personally speaking, I previously lived in Laos for three years with my family when my child was still an infant. When I went to a restaurant, the Lao people would often say, “What a lovely child!”, and then, “Let’s play together, so your Mommy can take her time to eat!".
In such situations and more, I was moved by the kindness of heart and generosity of the people of Laos. I wish to promote the beauty of the Lao people to folks in Japan.
I would also like to take this valuable opportunity to promote JICA cooperation’s activities and to continue to build and strengthen “bridges” that span Laos and Japan.
Thank you for your support!
Chief Representative of JICA Laos Office
Miyako KOBAYASHI
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