Palau News Letter Vol.7] Online Exchange Program for Elementary Schools Promotion of Separate Discharge System in Babeldaob Island, Palau (JICA Grassroots Technical Cooperation Project)

　We would like to provide you with an update on the JICA Grassroots Technical Cooperation Project "Promotion of Separate Discharge System in Babeldaob Island, Palau" which is being implemented in Palau.

Online Exchange between Palauan and Japanese Elementary Schools

　On Thursday, November 21, 2024, children from elementary schools in Japan and Palau conducted an online exchange as part of the school education-type activities of this project. From Japan, 4th graders from Tsu Municipal Ikusei Elementary School in Mie Prefecture, and from Palau, 5th~8th graders from Aimerique Elementary School participated in the event.

　The purpose of this exchange was to raise awareness of waste and environmental issues through the topic of dietary habits, and presentations were made on dietary habits and efforts to address waste issues in Japan and Palau, as well as in each other's countries and schools.

　The children from Ikusei Elementary School introduced school lunches and snacks, and presented a fun presentation with gestures and other activities about their efforts to stay healthy while having fun, and to reduce food loss through school lunches and other activities.
　In addition to introducing their country's culture and school lunches, the children from Aimérique Elementary School also introduced the "quiero" disposal of leftover food and cooking scraps from school lunches, which is part of the project's activities, and that they are beginning to recycle resources by separating garbage.

　Children from both schools were looking forward to the exchange, communicating with each other through gestures from the waiting time before class, and listened to each other's presentations with great interest during class. In response to the presentation by Eymerique Elementary School, a student from Ikusei Elementary School asked, "Doesn't fertilizer made from quiero smell bad?
　This online exchange was a great opportunity for students from the two schools to have fun and increase their interest in each other's countries, schools, and environmental activities.

Aimérieque Elementary School	Online interaction between the two schools

Ikusei Elementary School1	Ikusei Elementary School 2

　
　This exchange was approved by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan as a project to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Palau, and is also positioned as a commemorative project of the same!

Logo commemorating the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Palau

　In this issue, we reported on the online exchange between Ikusei Elementary School and Imerik Elementary School.
Please look forward to the next issue of Palau News!