Overview:
Japanese Embassy Officials Celebrate 5 Years of School Bus Support for Palau’s Youngest Students
KOROR, Palau — Five years after Japan donated two school buses to the Belau Head Start Program, embassy officials checked in on Jan. 29 to see how the vehicles continue keeping Palau’s preschoolers safe on their daily commutes. Serving Melekeok and Ngeremlengui, the buses carry children across rugged routes while supporting families and community connections.
By: Laurel Marewibuel
KOROR, Palau – Embassy of Japan officials visited Head Start centers in Melekeok and Ngeremlengui states on Jan. 29, marking the fifth-year checkup on two rugged school buses donated to keep Palau’s youngest students rolling safely.
The buses, delivered in January 2021 through Japan’s Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP), cost $79,917 and serve the Belau Head Start Program under the Palau Community Action Agency. They shuttle 13 kids daily in Ngeremlengui and 15 in Melekeok across vast, often unpaved routes—freeing up parents’ time for work and ferrying families to school events that knit communities tighter.
“These buses are still in top shape after five years,” said Ms. Eydeline Ikeya, Head Start director, crediting vigilant maintenance by principals and drivers. Officials met Ikeya and the drivers during the visit, praising the vehicles’ endurance.
Launched in Palau in 1999, Japan’s GGP has funded 105 projects in education, health care and welfare. This bus procurement is the 82nd.