NPO法人エコプラスが昨年２０周年を迎えられ、その記念事業でヤップ州の１４～１７才の学生１０名を日本に招聘してくださいました。１０日間の日本滞在中、彼らは文化体験や企業訪問など初めて経験することばかりで、充実した毎日を過ごしたようです。大使館に来た日は、周辺の桜の名所“桜坂”がちょうど見頃を迎え、桜並木におおはしゃぎしていました。学生の中には、十数年前に同じプロジェクトで父親が来日し、親子二代に亘って参加したメンバーもいました。日本とミクロネシア連邦の絆を深めてくださる活動に心から感謝申し上げます。
(Summary)
Ambassador and Staff welcomed ten students to the FSM Embassy (age between 14-17) from Yap High School and three chaperons who visited Japan under the sponsorship of NPO ECO-PLUS . The students were invited to visit Japan as part of the NPO ECO-PLUS’s events in commemoration of its 20th foundation anniversary last year (2012). The program with Yap has been on for over twenty years and their programs in Japan this time include visits to waste management and recycle facilities and factories, which is one of the main objective of the visit to observe and get firsthand knowledge of Japan’s waste management and the technologies to enable them to understand how to cope with the wastes in their respective communities. They also stayed with host families and visited other areas in the northern part of Japan to experience different cultures and lifestyle. One of the chaperons this time participated in the program twenty years ago as a student. The Yap students played an important role in deepening the Kizuna between FSM and Japan.