Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is going to send volunteers to Bangladesh after 7 years of the deadly terrorist attack on ‘Holey Artisan’ in the capital Dhaka, said official sources in JICA.
In July 2016, an armed group of extremists stormed the Holey Artisan Bakery in Gulshan of the capital. The incident claimed lives of 22 people, including seven Japanese who were working for JICA projects in the country.
JICA immediately had repatriated more than 20 volunteers from Bangladesh and suspended sending volunteers for safety reasons.
JICA now considers the security situation in Bangladesh to be stable and has decided to restart the dispatch of volunteers to the country in September, according to NHK World-Japan.
NHK World-Japan is the international service of Japan's public media organisation NHK.
As a first step, the agency plans to send two young volunteers for a short-term stay to help rehabilitate people with disabilities and oversee quality control of processed agricultural products.
JICA volunteers began aid activities in Bangladesh in 1973, two years after the country's independence.
At one point, more than 60 volunteers were active here and achieved good results.
Between 1999 and 2015, nearly 70 volunteers sent by JICA worked in polio control and immunisation programmes in Bangladesh.
They travelled throughout the country to ensure every child could be vaccinated against polio. Their activities led to the eradication of the infectious disease in different areas of the country.
JICA officials say they expect the volunteers to help improve people's livelihoods and address disparities between urban and rural communities.
As a first step in the development, the agency plans to send two young volunteers for a short-term stay to help rehabilitate people with disabilities and oversee quality control of processed agricultural products.
