Quake-prone buildings: Japanese help sought
Published on: Saturday, July 04, 2015
Kota Kinabalu: Japan should share its expertise in building quake-prone structures in Sabah, said State Community Development and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Jainab Ahmad."We could do with some help from engineering experts there as the State is looking into building structures that can withstand earthquake. Sabah is the first State in the country to experience this due to its closeness to the Ring of Fire in the Pacific Ocean," she said.She made the proposal to Japanese Consul Shinji Urabayashi, who was present during an official handover of a Toyota Hiace van that came with an electric wheelchair loader worth RM129,578 to the Cheshire Home here.
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Jainab thanked the Japanese government for the van offered through the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects, which was funded by the country's taxpayers.The grant was established to assist NGOs and local public authorities in developing countries to address their various needs. The funds are channelled through a wide range of community-based local organisations."The van is a gesture of goodwill from the Japanese people as it was funded by the taxpayers," said Urabayashi."I really admire the continuous work done by Cheshire Home as it has been helping and improving the living conditions of the disabled in Sabah for over 30 years.
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"As the old van is really in a bad condition and need to be replaced, I sincerely hope this van will be of great help for the people in the home," he added.The vehicle would be used to ferry the Cheshire Home's occupants which comprised about 50 people with various disabilities for medical check-ups and recreational activities.
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Some 18 of them were children aged between 1 and 6 who suffer from cerebral palsy, global development delay, muscular dystrophy and autism and are cared for at the nursery, Taska Mesra Cheshire. The President of the Cheshire Home, Datuk Rowland Chin, said the van offer was timely as the home needed a replacement for their decade-old vehicle."This donation comes at a very opportune time as our old van, which was given to us 10 years ago, is ready for scrapyard after having given reliable service all these years. "The installation of the electric wheelchair loader is especially appreciated as it makes transportation of wheelchair users a much easier task for carers," Chin said.Chin added that the Cheshire Home had a long history of friendship with the Japanese government and its people as they used to have volunteers serving as physiotherapists under the Japanese Volunteers Service (JVS) there.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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