Report of 1st batch volunteers (March to June 2013)
The 7 young Africans worked in the disaster area of Kamaishi and disaster relief logistical support base of Tono for about 2 months and then presented their activities and accomplishments at the official side event (cohosted by JOCA and the AUC) of the 5th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 5) on May 31st.
In an attempt to strengthen the partnerships established through the 12,000 volunteers dispatched to grass root organizations in Africa, Japan Overseas Cooperative Association (JOCA) started the JOCA-AU Youth Volunteer Corps collaboration programme. Specifically, JOCA invited African Union Volunteers to participate in disaster recovery programmes and international cultural exchange events with JOCA in Iwate prefecture.