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JICA Volunteers in Palau

◆Alii from Palau!

Tadaharu Namoto
JICA Senior Volunteer
Building and Zoning – Planning Commission, Koror State Government

(My Counterparts and I at Office)

　　　It has already been 10 months since I have been dispatched to Palau in March 2011. I am feeling a little bit in haste as my two years term is nearly half finished. I am working as a JICA Senior Volunteer at the Building and Zoning – Planning Commission of the Koror State Government, which is located near the Asahi Ball field near downtown Koror in an ideal spot with a view of the ocean in the distance.

　　　Koror State is the biggest state in Palau with approximately 65% of the population residing. The State Government provides various administration services and among them, my division of Building and Zoning-planning Commission establishes urban development guidelines and policies as well as planning and management of State Government Project implementation. I have taken over the task from the former JICA Senior Volunteer to support the revision of the City-Planning Master Plan, which has not been revised since 1976, which is over 35 years.

(Enjoying fishing with my wife and local friends)

　　　In the past 30 years, urban Koror has changed considerably, which has led to causing numerous problems such as decrepit facilities and chaotic land management. Consequently, the Koror State Government is working on revising the City-Planning Master Plan as soon as possible and providing appropriate regulation and guidance for development and construction activities to create a more comfortable and attractive city environment for Koror. Under these circumstances, I figured that it is most important to grasp the current land and building use situation and to objectively understand the issues; therefore, I have started a building survey with the members of the Commission and the State Government personnel.

　　　As I am very lucky to have my wife accompany me for this dispatch, she looks after me by cooking and driving and I don’t have any worries in my daily life. My biggest challenge is my language ability and I feel I must find a way to improve it.

(My Friends at Badminton Club)

　　　From long ago, I have always had in mind that if I ever had a chance to go overseas to volunteer, I will make sure that I will not only do technical work, but also mingle with the locals as much as possible and deepen mutual understanding with them. Although it hasn’t been long since I came to Palau, my Palauan friends whom I met through my wife have taken me fishing, I play with the children at badminton club, attend events in the neighborhood, and people are very kind to give us various information in daily life. I have met so many kind local people, many more than I have expected, which I find is the biggest fruit of my work in Palau. There isn’t much time left but I would like to do my best both at work and in private to make the most of my time in Palau.