Senior Vice President Fujii Visits Site of Future Primary School in Otakon Village, Cambodia

On April 10, 2018, Hirotoyo Fujii, Senior Vice President and Executive Officer of Hitachi Construction Machinery and Representative Director of NPO Good Earth Japan (GEJ), visited the site in Otakon Village in the Battambang Province, in northwest Cambodia, where NPO Good Earth Japan (GEJ) plans to build a primary school.

There is no primary school in Otakon Village therefore the 160 or so children have to commute to schools in surrounding villages. The closest primary school is the Kiesel Primary School, which was built by GEJ in 2009 in Russei Ro Village. The commute one-way is around 3 kilometers (roughly 2 miles) and is nearly a one hour trek. This is a long, harsh commute for the children who must endure Cambodia’s intense heat and muddy farm roads during the rainy season due to poor drainage.

Senior Vice President Fujii was greeted by nearly 40 people, including the head of the village, the villagers and their children. The village chief expressed his thanks for the construction of the primary school. Mr. Fujii was also greeted with the smiles of the children. The construction of the primary school is scheduled to be completed at the end of August 2018.

Going forward the Hitachi Construction Machinery Group pledges to continue its support of the GEJ and its activities, which are aimed to improve the standard of living and support the independence of villagers who reside in areas which were previously mine fields.