The government of Japan has awarded grants worth $397,335 (about Tk 48.2 million) to two Bangladeshi non-government organisations to support grass-roots human security initiatives.

The funding was provided under the Grant Assistance for Grass-roots Human Security Projects (GGHSP) programme.

Grant contracts were signed on Monday at the Embassy of Japan in Bangladesh by Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Saida Shinichi and representatives of the recipient organisations.

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The two beneficiaries are the Garo Baptist Convention Christian Health Project and Asian University for Women (AUW).

The Garo Baptist Convention Christian Health Project received $83,827 to expand medical facilities and provide equipment in Joyramkura village in Mymensingh district.

The organisation provides healthcare services, particularly to women and children living in remote north-eastern border areas.

Its initiative involves a 50-bed hospital project, registered with the government’s health ministry and designed to accommodate up to 100 inpatients.

With the Japanese grant, the hospital will install a central oxygen supply system and build a post-operative ward to improve surgical care and patient management.

Meanwhile, the Asian University for Women in Chattogram received $313,508 to construct an Elementary Education Programme Building on its campus.

The university seeks to expand educational opportunities for talented female students from South and Southeast Asia who lack access to higher education, aiming to nurture future leaders in their communities, the Japanese embassy said.

The new facility will strengthen the learning environment and support primary education for girls from grades 1 to 5, particularly those from low-income families with limited access to schooling.

Since 1989, Japan has supported 225 NGO projects in Bangladesh under the GGHSP programme to promote economic and social security at the grassroots level. The total value of these grants has reached approximately $18 million.