First Lady Sajidha Mohamed met with volunteers from the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) programme at Mulee’aage on Tuesday morning.

The delegation was accompanied by the Ambassador of Japan to the Maldives, Ishigami Rumiko, and senior officials from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

During the meeting, JOCV volunteers spoke about their work across different islands, where they support local schools and communities through teaching and capacity-building. Their areas of contribution include health and physical education such as handball, baseball and athletics, as well as music, handicrafts and culinary arts, fostering both skill development and cultural exchange.

The First Lady expressed her gratitude to the Government of Japan for its continued support and conveyed appreciation for the volunteers’ contributions. She said their service has brought meaningful benefits to communities and further strengthened the longstanding ties between the Maldives and Japan.

JICA continues to support national development efforts in the Maldives through various initiatives, including strengthening local industries such as fisheries, assisting climate change adaptation and disaster-prevention measures, and deploying JOCV volunteers primarily in the education sector.