US launches 16 mln USD nutrition, sanitation project in Cambodia
PHNOM PENH, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- The United States Agency
for International Development (USAID) on Monday unveiled a five-year
Integrated Nutrition, Hygiene and Sanitation project in Cambodia, which
is estimated to cost 16 million U.S. dollars, according to a press
statement from the U.S. Embassy to Cambodia.
Cambodian deputy Prime Minister Yim Chhayly and Denise Rollins, acting assistant administrator for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)'s Bureau for Asia, jointly announced the project in Phnom Penh.
The mortality rate for children under 5 in Cambodia is currently 54 per 1,000 live births and nearly 35 percent of these child deaths are attributable to various forms of under nutrition, the statement said.
"Food security and nutrition are two of the most urgent issues that Cambodia faces," said Rollins. "We are confident that this project, carried out in close collaboration with national and local authorities, will help to reduce the level of malnutrition in Cambodian children, giving them a healthy start that will lead to a more successful life."
The project, to be implemented by Save the Children Federation, will benefit approximately 500,000 Cambodians in rural communities in Battambang, Pursat and Siem Reap provinces, the statement said.
The project will have a particular focus on pregnant women and children under the age of two and will promote food diversity and food quality as well as improving local access to sanitation facilities, hand-washing and water filters, it said, adding that it will also provide pre-and post-birth services at health facilities and growth promotion programs at health centers and in the community.
Since 1992, USAID has invested about 1 billion U.S. dollars towards Cambodia's development, the statement said.
Cambodian deputy Prime Minister Yim Chhayly and Denise Rollins, acting assistant administrator for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)'s Bureau for Asia, jointly announced the project in Phnom Penh.
The mortality rate for children under 5 in Cambodia is currently 54 per 1,000 live births and nearly 35 percent of these child deaths are attributable to various forms of under nutrition, the statement said.
"Food security and nutrition are two of the most urgent issues that Cambodia faces," said Rollins. "We are confident that this project, carried out in close collaboration with national and local authorities, will help to reduce the level of malnutrition in Cambodian children, giving them a healthy start that will lead to a more successful life."
The project, to be implemented by Save the Children Federation, will benefit approximately 500,000 Cambodians in rural communities in Battambang, Pursat and Siem Reap provinces, the statement said.
The project will have a particular focus on pregnant women and children under the age of two and will promote food diversity and food quality as well as improving local access to sanitation facilities, hand-washing and water filters, it said, adding that it will also provide pre-and post-birth services at health facilities and growth promotion programs at health centers and in the community.
Since 1992, USAID has invested about 1 billion U.S. dollars towards Cambodia's development, the statement said.
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