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4.55m ADB aid for women and children
KATHMANDU, APR 05 -
Asian Development Bank (ADB), on behalf of Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction (JFPR) announced grant assistance worth Rs. 4.55 million for three new projects that focus on women and children's welfare. The ADB has been administrating the JFPR since 2000.
The first will support women and children who are victims of abuses such as rape, domestic violence, polygamy, child abuse, child marriage and human trafficking. Under this project, the government will get US $ 750,000 to establish women and children service centres in five districts. It also aims to provide training to the Nepal Police
to curb crimes against
women and children and establish a proper support system for victims.
The second is 'Capacity building for the promotion of legal identity among the poor in Nepal.' The JFPR has pledged US$ 2 million for this project which will be used to increase the number of Nepalis with legal identity documents.
The project's goal is to provide birth certificates and other documents to at least 80 percent of residents in the target areas and ensure that individual details are logged in a computerised civil registration system, accessible to government departments, according to ADB.
The project will be implemented over four years in 10 districts. At least 75 percent of Nepal's population does not possess birth certificates.
JFPR has pledged grant assistance of US$ 1.8 million for Flour Fortification in local mills under which iron, folic acid, and Vitamin A will be added to wheat, maize and millet, milled at small mills.
The project aims to provide 360 small millers with equipment, fortificant premix and training to produce about 19,000 metric tons of fortified flour to feed 200,000 people for the next two years.
Announcing these grants, executive director ADB in Japan, Masakazu Sakaguchi said Japan was committed to provide support to the poor people with its aid despite the Japanese economy facing the economic recession.
Japanese ambassador to Nepal Tatsuo Mizuno expressed his belief that these projects would help in poverty reduction and creating social awareness. During the programme, Finance Secretary Rameshore Khanal termed the JFPR projects successful in producing better outcomes.
Barry J Hitchcock, country director of ADB for Nepal, said JFPR is supporting the various programmes related to basic economic and social services to the poor, non-government organisations that promote poverty reduction and social development and capacity building of community based organisations.
According to ADB, Nepal government has received grant assistance of more than US$ 9.3 million for seven JFPR projects in the areas of agriculture, governance and social sectors during the period 2001 to March 2010.
Posted on: 2010-04-06 07:30
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