Japan Ambassador Endo Kazuya on Wednesday received a courtesy call from five newly arrived and three departing Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) after they completed approximately two years of service, making significant contributions to agriculture, disaster preparedness and marketing projects in their respective assignment areas.

The five new volunteers will serve across the Philippines, working on projects related to agriculture, tourism, disaster risk reduction and community development.

JOCV, an initiative by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), is regarded as one of the oldest volunteer programs in the world.

The volunteers are dispatched for a two-year term to work with a host organization focusing on fields such as education, health care, agriculture, public works and Japanese language education.

In July 2016, JOCV became the first Japanese organization to receive the Ramon Magsaysay Award, also known as the “Asian Nobel Prize,” in recognition of its contributions to economic and social development in the Asian region.