On April 23, the Government of the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the World Bank launched a US$13 million Multisectoral Early Childhood Development Project in Majuro.
The project will support areas such as reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health and nutrition services, with a focus on the first 1,000 days of life. The project also aims to promote primary school readiness by enhancing support to parents and increasing access to early learning services.
Poor nutrition and a lack of early learning opportunities have posed major obstacles for some Marshallese children which have had a detrimental effect on the country’s development. The new program will address this by focusing on:
- increasing access to effective and quality maternal and child health services;
creating opportunities for early stimulation and learning; - piloting a social protection system and support for families with young children; and
- addressing the limited affordability of nutritious diets, especially for children in vulnerable families.
“We are thrilled to officially launch the Early Childhood Development Project here, which came from a direct request from the President of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. While technical assessments and planning are required before wider activities begin –the investment in the health and education of Marshallese children will contribute to a brighter future for the country. This is also representative of an increasing focus on health, nutrition, and education support as a wider economic imperative for more sustainable futures for Pacific economies,” said the World Bank’s Aparnaa Somanathan, the team leader of the project speaking at the event.
The project is funded through a US$13 million grant from the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank’s fund for the most in-need countries, in partnership with the government of the Republic of the Marshall Islands and in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
Original source: World Bank
Published on 23 April 2019
