Handover Ceremony of Jakarta School of Prosthetics and Orthotics

I would like to first and foremost offer my profound condolences and sympathies to the many people who have been victimized by the deadly tsunami that hit your beautiful country between the islands of Java and Sumatra at the end of last month. I pray for a speedy recovery of the devastated area.

It is an honor for me to be a part of today’s ceremony marking the handover of Jakarta School of Prosthetics and Orthotics (JSPO) to the Government of Indonesia. I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to all of you here today for your cooperation and support for JSPO.

The Nippon Foundation has been engaged in various activities in order to realize an inclusive society. Among these activities, our efforts have focused particularly on supporting persons with disabilities for more than fifty years. And placing importance on the prosthetics and orthotics project, or P&O project, in Indonesia, we have provided a total of 11.4 million US dollars in funding JSPO since 2009.

When we began working with JSPO, there was already a great demand for P&O devices. As a result of rapid industrialization and motorization in Indonesia, an increase in traffic accidents, factory accidents, and health problems have unfortunately caused a serious shortage of P&O devices. In addition, there were two more problems: the quality of devices themselves and their proper customized fitting technique.

Taking these issues into consideration, JSPO has worked tirelessly over the past ten years to train many capable P&O professionals whose skills have come to be highly recognized and appreciated by many users. Some users have expressed their joy of being able to walk to school. Others are working actively at their factories. With high-quality, well-fitting P&O devices, they can restore mobility and pursue their dreams – dreams of an education, employment, and greater participation in society. JSPO students and alumni here today have empowered them to regain their confidence and helps to make their dreams come true. I want all of you to have pride in your work, a work of such great significance for the people in need.

In August 2017, JSPO was internationally recognized for its achievement over the past years. It became the first institution in Indonesia to be certified as Category 1, the highest international category in the education and training of P&O professionals. It is a privilege for me to be able to pass on to the Government of Indonesia such an internationally esteemed school of high standards.

JSPO will continue to bring hope to the people in need of its services by laying the groundwork for achieving an inclusive society in this great country.