The Palau Red Cross Society, with the help of other donors and sponsors, is hosting the Japanese youth’s stay on the island. The program has been running since 2007 when Palau’s Red Cross youth volunteers first went to Japan for a visit.
Since Wednesday, Manami Kuroday, 16; Sayako Endo, 16; Risako Itou, 15; and Serina Furuichi, 18, have been visiting different tourist spots in Palau; participating in different school activities; going on field trips to tapioca and taro farms for demonstration and practicum; and staying with host families.
They are accompanied by Ayako Kubo, a teacher, and Haruki Muraki, Japan Red Cross staff.
“They’re here to see the culture of Palau. Basically, we’re just showing them the Palauan way of life, just like they do with our students when they go to Japan,” Miriam Chin, Director of Palau Red Cross Society, said in an interview.
“They’re now associating with the Red Cross youth volunteers of Palau, exchanging culture, information and programs that will hopefully help foster good volunteer relationships between the two Red Cross societies,” she added.
Chin said the trips are all expenses paid by the Japanese Red Cross. “They are the ones who are actually assisting and supporting this program,” Chin said.
When the Japanese guests go home, they will share the information they learned in Palau with the rest of the Japanese youth volunteers.
Chin hopes that the cultural exchange between the two countries will start a strong Red Cross Youth volunteer program in Palau.
Currently, Chin said, they have over 100 Red Cross youth volunteers in Palau, ages 15 to 18 from different high schools. The youths help the Red Cross in its blood and relief drives, fund raising and recruitment of members.
“We have a lot of volunteers, but they go to school. So depending on the line up of activities that we have, they come and assist,” she said.
