On Tuesday 8th February 2022, JICA Saint Lucia office welcomed Ms. Mutsumi Kudo and Mr. Yuzo Ota back to the island. They are expected to complete a two-year tour-of-duty in Saint Lucia. Ms. Kudo who specializes in Welfare and Education of persons with disabilities and is a qualified Special Needs Teacher is assigned to the Soufriere Special Education Rehabilitation Centre. She is expected to assist the education facility with the development of teaching and learning materials to improve instruction; aid in building the capacity of teachers in delivering effective special education and also assist with curriculum review and development during her assignment.
Mr. Ota, who specializes in Disaster Risk Reduction and Management, is assigned to the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO). He will be serving as the Community Disaster Risk Reduction Coordinator and provide support to the organization in their institutional strengthening and community disaster risk reduction activities for community organizations island-wide.
The JOCV has been an integral part of Japan’s relationship with Saint Lucia for over 27 years. Since 1995, Saint Lucia has been hosting Japanese volunteers on the island in various technical and social development areas, as part of Japan’s Official Development Assistance on the island. The JOCV serve, share and transfer their knowledge and Japan’s best practices to Saint Lucians in both the public and private sectors. They are also keen to learn Saint Lucian culture and are eager to return to share with Japan.
In 2020 as the Covid-19 pandemic affected countries around the world, ten volunteers were recalled from Saint Lucia and St. Vincent & the Grenadines.