KATHMANDU, Dec 19: The Government of Japan has decided to earmark assistance of USD 500,000 to support the activities of the World Food Program (WFP), Nepal.
The aid is aimed at supporting an ongoing Mother and Child Health Nutrition (MCHN) Programme to improve the nutritional status of pregnant and lactating women and children living in five remote districts of Nepal's Karnali Province, according to a press statement issued by Embassy of Japan in Kathmandu on Tuesday.
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In Karnali Province, the ratio of maldeveloped children between six to 59 months stands at 54.5% - the highest among the seven provinces in Nepal. Similarly, 60% of Karnali women still give birth at home. "It is an indicator of a public health emergency and chronic undernutrition in the region," said the statement.
The statement further said that this Japanese assistance is to be used for continuing WFP Nepal's efforts to reduce food insecurity, by reducing the chronic undernutrition in children to 15% by 2030.
"It will also help significantly to improve health and nutrition services during pregnancy and childbirth, and also for monitoring children's growth and nutrition counseling at 128 health facilities at the municipal level,” read the statement.
