Courtesy Call by High School Students from Marumori Town, Miyagi Prefecture to Ambassador Mizuuchi
| The High School Students and Ambassador Mizuuchi |
The discussion |
On 17 October 2019, three high school students from Marumori Town in Miyagi Prefecture, which is a Host Town for Zambia in Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, paid a courtesy call on Mr. Ryuta Mizuuchi, Ambassador-Designate of Japan in the Republic of Zambia.
As a part of its efforts to revitalize itself, Marumori Town is engaged in exchanges with people from Zambia through JICA’s “Zambia-Marumori Rural Community Development Project Aimed at Improving Livelihoods for Small Scale Farmers”. The students were the children of the host families, which received Zambian trainees who visited Japan within this scheme. Driven by an ardent hope to one day visit Zambia and exchange with Zambians themselves, they saved up allowances and managed to visit Zambia. Guided by an Ex-JICA Expert, they stayed at a local house in a village in Lusaka Province and visited local high schools where they demonstrated Japanese culture, while paying a visit to other places in the local communities.
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Exchange with Zambian Youths |
A day in a Village |
The students enthusiastically told the Ambassador how happy they were to be reunited with Zambians they hosted before, and that the exchanges with the Zambian youths were so exciting that their impression on Africa has totally changed.
Ambasaddor Mizuuchi expressed his heartfelt sympathy through them to the citizens of Marumori on the huge damage the Town suffered by Typhoon Hagibis, and told the students that it is important to continue and foster the exchanges and friendship that they have cherished so far. The Ambassador further encouraged the youths to grow up to be adults who play a leading role in the international community, withstanding the competitions of the youths of the world, including Africans.
It is significant that the exchanges between Marumori Town and Zambia are thus being carried on to the next generation. We believe that those students, motivated by the exchanges of this time, will definitely become the young leaders of Marumori Town or Miyagi Prefecture and contribute to the future of the communities.
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PR Magazine of Marumori (left), |
Group Photo |