On May 18, 2023, His Excellency ORIKASA Hiroyuki, Ambassador of Japan handed over a new school auditorium to Maris Stella School. The handover ceremony for “The Project for Reconstruction of the Auditorium for Maris Stella School ” was held at Maris Stella School and attended by members of Maris Stella School, Board and PTA, 150 students and many guests.
The auditorium of Maris Stella School plays an important role for the school operation. It has been used for school assemblies, class activities such as physical education, seasonal events including Christmas programs, graduation ceremonies and PTA meetings. In addition, people have used the auditorium for exercise activities such as Zumba, community meetings, and as an evacuation shelter. Some national sports events such as Belau Games and Belau Youth Games have been also need in the auditorium. However, the auditorium was deteriorated due to over 60 years use, causing cracks on the walls and leaks on the ceilings. These conditions have made the school stop using the facility for students and people. Therefore, the reconstruction of the auditorium is an urgent matter for nearly 2,000 people including Maris Stella School students.
Considering the situation, Embassy of Japan recognized that the school definitely needs assistance and has decided to help reconstruct the auditorium in order to fix the problems and meet the needs for a safe learning environment for the students and for the community through Japan’s GGP assistance. The grant is worth $394,030 and this project is the first GGP to be implemented in Maris Stella School.
At the ceremony, Chairman, Maris Stella School Board of Director Delegate Mengkur Rechelulk expressed his deep appreciation to the Government and the People of Japan for its assistance. Ambassador Orikasa stated that “this project is not just to build a new auditorium, but also to see the children’s smiling faces running around this auditorium, and to contribute to the community and cultivating a feeling of home. I expect the school and community revitalizing to ensure maintenance and management of the new auditorium for the future generations.”
The handover ceremony ended with a beautiful chorus in Japanese by the Maris Stella students.
The Government of Japan launched GGP in 1999, for the purpose of responding to various development needs engaged in grassroots activities in Palau. As of May 18, 2023, the Embassy has signed 98 grant contracts with schools and hospitals as well as state governments and non-profit organizations to contribute to sustainable development of Palau. For further information about GGP, please contact 488-6455 or visit the Embassy of Japan website at https://www.palau.emb-japan.go.jp/itpr_en/about_ggp.html .