The Japanese government has donated shoes to primary school children of displaced families in the Far North Region of Cameroon.

The donation comprising 11,944 pairs of sports shoes of different sizes between 15 and 28 cm and contained in 484 cartons each were officially handed over to the Minister of Basic Education, Youssouf Hadidja Alim by the Japanese Ambassador to Cameroon, Okamura Kunio, on Tuesday June 28, 2016.

Speaking at the occasion, Okamura Kunio said the donation of shoes to children affected by Boko Haram insurgency will enable them protect themselves from parasites from the ground, go to school in good health and improve their academic performances.

On her part, Minister Youssouf Hadidja Alim assured the Japanese Ambassador that the donation will immediately be sent to the Far North and will be handed over to the children at the beginning of the 2016-2017 academic year.

She said from this gesture Japan has shown that it is a friend indeed of Cameroon at all times and above all in time of need.

The donation was an initiative of a Japanese Parliamentarian, Funada Hajimé, in collaboration with the students of a private government high school in Japan.

A certificate of handing over of donation and a report of reception were signed by Minister Youssouf Hadidja Alim and the Resident Representative of the Japanese Agency of International Cooperation, Yaounde Office, Umemoto Shinji.