Following the request of the Ministry of Planning and External Cooperation (MPCE), 24 young Haitians will be trained in handling heavy equipment at the base of the Japanese Engineering Company (JAPENGCOY) of the MINUSTAH in Port-au-Prince. This training is part of the project "Kizuna" which means "link" in Japanese.

Training will be conducted in three sessions of three weeks each, 8 young people will be welcomed at each session. It will enable participants to become skilled operators in handling heavy equipment, such as loaders or graders. Beneficiaries "were designated from among many candidates and selected following a rigorous selection process," said Satoru Nomura, the Japanese Contingent Commander.

"This formation [...] fits perfectly in the context of the reconstruction of the country and particularly in the context of actions such as road construction and land use," has indicated Jean Yves Robert, the Director General of the MPCE.

Following this training, scheduled August 24, 2012, students will receive from the Haitian government a license type E. It should be recalled that four young Haitians in 2011 had received similar training.

In the country since February 7, 2010, the Japanese peacekeepers of the JAPENGCOY participated in several works of dredging gullies and road maintenance, the most recent example is the Route of Cite Soleil.

Photo credit : Jesus Serrano Redondo – UN/Minustah

HL/ HaitiLibre