Japanese donations
The Joy of Giving and Helping The POPOS Programme (the Donation Programme for the Population’s Basic Needs) is an important channel used by Japan to make donations in Serbia. So far, 63 healthcare facilities in Serbia, 64 schools and 29 local public enterprises, NGOs and other organizations have received the POPOS assistance nels used by Japan to make donations in Serbia. The POPOS assistance usually goes to healthcare institutions, elementary schools and nurseries, public utility companies, welfare institutions, various associations, international and local NGOs, local authorities and other organizations. So far, 63 healthcare facilities in Serbia, 64 schools and 29 local public enterprises, NGOs and other organizations have received the POPOS assistance. Since 1999, when the programme started, Japan donated close to
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ellow buses in the streets of Belgrade have been widely accepted as a symbol of Japanese donations in Serbia. Every morning, these clean, air-conditioned, comfortable buses transport close to 200,000 people. There are 93 yellow buses in Belgrade – 18 single and 75 double buses. To this day, these vehicles are in excellent condition and the commuters just love them. Maybe none of these buses would be here if the Japanese didn’t have just one requirement before making the €17 million donation – that the buses should be regularly maintained. It takes the workers of the public transport company Belgrade (GSP Beograd) only four minutes to wash a bus, much less time than their counterparts in Europe need. All buses are washed in detail every three months. Even after ten years since the buses were donated to the public transport company Belgrade, the representatives of Japanese Government make sure that they come and see them every single time they visit Belgrade. In the last 14 years, Japan has donated €450 million worth of assistance which was mostly spent on humanitarian aid – medical equipment, school supplies, buses for public transport and water supply. Japan usually assists emerging countries, in their economic recovery, through direct investments. The POPOS Programme (the Donation Programme for the Population’s Basic Needs) is one of the important chan76 |
In the last 14 years, Japan has donated €450 million worth of assistance which was mostly spent on humanitarian aid
The POPOS Programme (the Donation Programme for the Population’s Basic Needs) is one of the important channels used by Japan to make donations in Serbia
106 July / August 2013 | www.cordmagazine.com
€9 million in this way. Bearing in mind that this is just a fraction of the total Japanese donations amounting to half a billion euros, it is clear that Japan has been helping Serbia in many other ways. The POPOS assistance is a one-off grant. The organization that receives this
assistance is required by the Japanese Embassy only to accept the general terms of assistance. There are no additional requirements. This financial assistance is usually spent on repairing school and nursery buildings (mostly replacing windows and doors, renovating toilets, roofs and floors), medical supplies and ambulance vehicles, garbage trucks and containers, tank-cars and sweepers, specialized vehicles for the transport of persons with disabilities, equipment for welfare institutions and so on. Of course, the POPOS assistance is not only limited to these cases. The Japanese Embassy is more than willing to provide more information about other assistance opportunities. The maximum budget per project is ¥10 million (approximately €79,000). Due to the difference in exchange rates, this amount, expressed in euros, varies each year. The Embassy receives applications for the POPOS assistance throughout the year. The Japanese government has been giving financial assistance to environmental protection projects by making donations to public utility companies in Serbia and Montenegro. The donations are usually trucks for the collection and disposal of garbage, garbage containers, special recycling containers, recycling presses, specialized vehicles for water pipes and sewage maintenance, and the like. The Japanese government and Japan Foundation also give grants for culture, arts and intellectual exchange/ cooperation programmes. Institutions, organizations and individuals can apply. The Japan Foundation funds cultural exchange, students of Japanese language and culture, student exchange and other similar projects. ■