JICA to Send Volunteers to Bangladesh after 7 Years

Seven years after the Holey Artisan assault in Dhaka, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will start sending volunteers to Bangladesh again.

According to the NHK World-Japan, the JICA currently views the security situation in Bangladesh as secure and has planned to resume sending volunteers there as early as September.

The organization intends to send two young volunteers for a brief stay as a first step to assist in the rehabilitation of persons with disabilities and to supervise quality control of processed agricultural goods.

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 in Bangladesh 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 there.

According to JICA officials, they expect volunteers to help improve people's livelihoods and address disparities between urban and rural communities.

In July 2016, a restaurant, Holey Artisan Bakery, in Dhaka came under a terrorist attack where 22 people were killed, including seven Japanese who were working for JICA projects in the country.

JICA immediately repatriated more than 20 volunteers from Bangladesh and suspended sending volunteers for safety reasons.