Project News

From 19th to 20th June, 5 members from Sri Lanka visited Ohnan-cho in Shimane Prefecture as a part of the Country-Focused Training Course in Japan for the Project for Training of Frontline Officers in Community Development in Conflict Affected Areas (hereafter the "FORWARD Project"). The Project aims to improve the quality of public services provided in the conflict-affected areas of Sri Lanka through the training of the Frontline Officers and developing their capacity on community development activities; and the participants visited Ohnan-cho to see the examples of community development projects in Japan.

Ohnan-cho is a town located in the center of Shimane Prefecture in western Japan, surrounded by the mountains with plenty of beautiful nature. However, Ohnan-cho has faced a decrease and aging of its population in the recent decades of urbanization – a trend seen in many of the rural towns in Japan – which has made it difficult for them to sustain and develop the community. In order to revitalize the community, the local government and the people of Ohnan-cho have together launched various community development projects, some of which the Sri Lankan members went to visit.

One of the projects the members visited was the "Hinui Project" by the Hinui community. The Hinui community first participated in the "Let's Make a Dream Project" by Ohnan-cho in 2008, and since 2012, it has worked on its original "Hinui Project". Their community development activities include urban-rural interchange event in an old Japanese-style house, evacuation drills, and opening of a food processing factory. The Sri Lankan members learned about the details of such activities as well as the administrative aspects of the Project.

The members also visited the Mizuho Roadside Station and Local Farmer's Market, where farmers of the Mizuho Region sell fresh and safe products they produced. Not only visiting the sites, the Sri Lankan members heard from the President of Mizuho Local Farmers' Market Enterprise Cooperative about how they operate and also how they ensure the quality, safety, and stable supply of the products they sell.

Many of the participants commented that this visit to Ohnan-cho was one of the most beneficial subjects in the training program, enabling them to see the actual sites and to exchange ideas with local people. One of them has said that "We practically experienced the Japanese kindness, politeness and discipline. Japanese people treat us very well and help us in every manner." The two days in Ohnan-cho, surrounded by beautiful nature, provided the Sri Lankan participants with on-going, on-the-ground examples of community development in Japan. With this experience, the FORWARD Project will continue working on the community development and improvement of public services in Sri Lanka.