Japan Highlights Grants for SA Community Projects and How Its Grassroots Grants Programme Works

• Japan's Embassy in South Africa shared a video explaining the GGP, a grants programme that has funded over 600 grassroots projects in the country since 1989
• The programme supports non-profit organisations working in education, healthcare, water, and community development at a local level
• South Africans responded with praise and questions about how to access the funding for their own communities

Japan has been quietly funding hundreds of community projects across South Africa for decades, and a new video from the country's embassy is putting that work in the spotlight.

The Embassy of Japan in South Africa posted the clip on 2 November 2026, featuring Ambassador Shimizu speaking outdoors beneath blooming jacaranda trees. He introduced the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Projects, known as GGP, a programme Japan has run globally since 1989.

Japan's GGP at work in South Africa

The GGP is designed to fund non-profit organisations that make a direct and lasting difference at community level. In South Africa alone, more than 600 projects have received support through the programme, spanning healthcare, education, water access, and community development.

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Some of the projects highlighted in the video show just how wide that reach is. After the devastating KwaZulu-Natal floods, Japan helped rebuild damaged school classrooms in Durban. The Pink Drive, a mobile health unit that travels across the country to provide essential health services, also received GGP support. In addition, Tygerberg Hospital benefited from Japanese-funded medical equipment to improve newborn care.

Ambassador Shimizu said the programme would continue:

"Through GGP, Japan will continue working with communities across South Africa to improve lives and create lasting impacts."

South Africans want in

The video on the page struck a chord, with many viewers expressing gratitude and others asking how they could access the funding.

View the Instagram video below:

@gabihardy said:

"Thank you Ambassador and Japan! ❤"

@elainevw546 commented:

"Incredible. So much respect!"

@mostertriana shared:

"Thank you for supporting the Pink Drive! I am alive today because of a scan done by Pink Drive! 🔥"

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@waynebayman said:

"I love this guy. Where can I vote for him?"

@capetownheritagefoundation noted:

"Now this is Soft Power! 🙌"

@katys_table asked:

"How can we apply to the program?"

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Source: Briefly News