Japan helps improve nutrition for mountainous children
The Japanese government will provide more than US$400,000 in non-refundable aid for a project, aiming to help improve nutrition conditions for children in the poorest mountain district of Yen Bai province.
A contract to the aid provision was signed in Hanoi on December 19.
One of the poorest provinces in the country, Yen Bai reported the rate of malnutrition among children at more than 20 percent, while the national average is 17 percent.
Under the project, Save the Children Japan, in cooperation with Yen Bai Department of Health and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, will team up to improve child nutrition through activities such as enhancing agricultural production capacity and efficient use of natural resources, increasing cash incomes and raising public awareness of health and nutrition in Van Chan district.
Earlier, on December 18, the Japanese government also pledged around US$610,000 to fund a Plan Japan’s scheme on improving primary education for ethnic groups in the three northern and central provinces of Ha Giang, Quang Binh and Quang Ngai.
Hideo Suzuki, Minister of the Japanese Embassy in Vietnam, said that Japan will continue supporting efforts to narrow the development gap among regions and facilitate educational conditions in rural areas in the country.