Five students from Adi Maopa Secondary School in Lau will be attending the Youth Ambassadors for World Tsunami Awareness Day in Hokkaido Japan to acquire knowledge on disaster reduction and to understand the threat of earthquakes and tsunamis.
Salawai Vuli, Aisake Malupo, Ane Ledua, Keresia Ledua, Satini Nadaku and School Principal Viliame Kaseni from Adi Maopa Secondary School will be attending the World Tsunami Awareness Day in Japan and will fly out later tonight.
Speaking at the send-off reception hosted by the Japanese Embassy, Permanent Secretary for Education Heritage and Arts Ms.Alison Burchell wished the students all the best in their journey.
“World Tsunami day is something that is important to us in areas of vulnerability and this is celebrated across 14 countries across the pacific, and worldwide it is 14 out of 43, and that is to emphasize the vulnerability component,” Ms. Burchell said.
“There are some countries in Europe and in Africa that will never understand what a Tsunami is because they never had to experience it.”
Ms. Burchell encouraged the students to make the most of this unique opportunity.
“I hope you learn the value of education, because being able to go to Japan, this point in time in your lives is part of your education.”
She also said that she hoped the students would understand that education is more than just four walls of a classroom.
Japanese Ambassador to Fiji, His Excellency Mr. Masahiro Omura congratulated all the participating students who will be Youth Ambassadors for World Tsunami Day.
“Since 2016, we have invited high school students to Japan from countries that are vulnerable to tsunamis and provide them with opportunities to acquire knowledge on disaster reduction, to understand the threat of earthquakes and tsunamis and learn how to save people’s lives and properties from tsunamis,” Mr. Omura said.
The “High School Students Summit on World Tsunami Awareness Day” 2019 in Hokkaido is committed to using the memories of past disasters as a guide toward preventive and risk reduction measures.
Students from King George V & Elaine Bernacchi School from Kiribati and Malapoa College in Vanuatu will also be attending the Awareness day in Japan.