Kazuo Suzuki, the Japanese group’s president, led the turn-over of the donation. Villany Remengesau, Omekesang President received the donation in behalf of the Palau NGO.
The turnover was held at the Belau National Hospital on Monday.
Also present during the turn-over were Natus Misech, Omekesang Vice President and other officers and members of the Omekesang and JWBFA.
In an interview, Suzuki said that donation is primarily aimed at helping the people of Palau and further strengthening the friendship between Palauans and the people of Japan.
He added that the donation is also meant to help Omekesang advance its goals of helping people with disabilities in the island nation.
The Omekesang is a non-profit organization founded by the late Michael Ongalibang in the late 90’s to promote disability awareness and to advocate for the rights and needs of persons with disabilities in the Republic of Palau.
Members of the organization are mostly consumers with disabilities and their caretakers/parents, service providers and diverse community supporters advocating for an inclusive society where individuals with disabilities are afforded equal opportunity and are able to fully participate through freedom of choice and self determination.
Suzuki disclosed that with the latest donation, their group had already donated around 15 wheelchairs to Palau. He said that they are planning to donate several more wheelchairs to Palau in the coming years.
In behalf of the Republic of Palau and Omekesang, Remengesau thanked the Japanese group for its generosity.
“It is a very welcome donation. I believe that this will further cement and strengthen the friendship between the two people,” she stressed.
The Japan War-Bereaved Families Association or JWBFA is an organization of Japanese whose fathers were killed in Palau and other areas of the Pacific Theater while serving with the Japanese Imperial Army.
The organization counts several thousand members who pay a yearly visit to the World War II battlefield sites in Palau and other areas in the Pacific. During those visits, the group also took time to donate school supplies, wheelchairs and other equipment as a token of friendship.
