Japan grants $66,802 for refrigerated trucks to support small business owners

AMMAN — The Japanese government on Wednesday granted $66,802 to Dar Abu Abdullah Association for Philanthropy and Development (DAA) for refrigerated trucks under the scheme “Grant Assistance for Grass-roots Human Security Projects (GGP)”.

Ambassador of Japan to Jordan Shimazaki Kaoru and Director General of DAA Samer Balkar signed the grant contract during the signing ceremony held at the Japanese Embassy on Wednesday, according to an embassy statement.

The assistance aims to increase profits of micro and home-based businesses the DAA supports through providing two refrigerated trucks to the association.

Named after His Majesty the late King Hussein and Chaired by HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, the DAA was established with a mission to empower the most vulnerable individuals across the country and sustain their livelihoods, as well as address the underlying causes of hunger and poverty.

The DAA has helped low income families establish more than 270 micro and home-based businesses. This project is expected to enable the micro-business owners to transport larger and more frequent amounts of their products at an affordable price, read the statement.

     At the signing ceremony, the ambassador expressed his gratitude to the DAA’s social contribution and stated: “Considering the devastating economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and high unemployment rates, it is essential to strengthen support for vulnerable people more than ever. I sincerely hope that this project will help microbusiness owners to expand their businesses and improve their livelihood by increasing their revenues, and eventually, promote their own financial independence.”

In his response, Balkar said: “Our mission at Dar Abu Abdullah is to empower the most vulnerable communities through programmes that sustain their livelihoods and improve the well-being of their families.”

“With this generous grant from the Government of Japan, Dar Abu Abdullah will be able to provide better services to beneficiaries and enhance their access to market, leading to improving their profitability, as well as contributing to the sustainability and expansion of their home-based businesses towards graduating out of poverty,” Balkar added.

Under Japanese Grant Assistance for Grass-Roots Human Security Projects, Japan has extended more than $10 million for 152 projects to non-governmental organisations, schools, hospitals, and local governments in Jordan since 1993.

The Japanese Embassy calls for new proposals for the GGP project twice a year and the deadline of application for the first round of 2022 is March 31.

Further information is available at the Japanese Embassy’s website (https://www.jordan.emb-japan.go.jp/itpr_ja/11_000001_00726.html).