“I Enjoy Working in JICA”

At the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), I belong to a Southeast Asia and Pacific Department. I am in charge of agriculture, economic development, and governance programs of both Cambodia and Laos. I supervise many programs in those countries; collect information, coordinate teams for cooperation and discuss matters not only with the staff of the JICA, but also both the Japanese national government and the government of the respective country. I have been interested in the international situation since I was a child. Consequently, I completed a master’s degree hoping to devote myself to international cooperation. I enjoy my work with which I can directly address and treat issues, and, every single day, I am content with the feeling that I am contributing to both countries’ long-term development., Meanwhile, since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the JICA allowed the staff to work from home. Thanks to this flexible treatment, I can better manage my work and child rearing every day.
My graduate studies are essential in my current work. There was a Cambodian student in the same laboratory and this encounter fostered my interest in Cambodia. Naturally, I wrote my thesis on Cambodia both in the master’s and the doctoral courses.
Simultaneously, when I entered the doctoral course, I was sent to Cambodia as a member of a NPO and supported victims of human trafficking. Both my graduate studies and this experience allowed me to deepen my career. My knowledge of Cambodian government and cultural understanding are my great advantage to do this job