Japan grants US $ 2.7m to address nutrition in North

by P. Krishnaswamy

The Local Level Nutrition Intervention Program for the Northern Province (2011-2013) with the Japanese grant of US $ 2.7 ml.(SL Rs.300 ml.), obtained as an emergency trust by the World Bank , to support the Government to address the nutrition problems of the war-affected Northern population will be implemented for selected target groups from the middle of this year, Governor of the Northern Province Maj.Gen.G.A.Chandrasiri told the Sunday Observer.

The objective of this project is to reduce the compounded effects of the three-decade-long war as well as the global food and financial crisis that have had direct impact on the war-affected and displaced people of the Northern province.

The project targets to reduce malnutrition among pregnant and lactating women and children below five years of age. Supplementary food of high nutritional value which can be prepared at home will be issued to beneficiaries with regular monitoring of the improvement in their nutritional health. Secretary to the Ministry of Health and Indigenous Medicine of the Northern Province, Rasa Ravindran said that almost all preliminary arrangements with regard to the implementation of the two-year project has been completed and the provincial administration would be launching it in the middle of next month.

Japanese Ambassador in Sri Lanka Kunio Takahashi will be the chief guest while Chairman of the Northern Province Task Force and Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa, Minister of Health Nimal Siripala de Silva, Ministers Douglas Devananda and Rishad Budhuideen and Governor of the Northern Province Maj.Gen. G.A.Chandrasiri will be guests of honour at the launching of the project which will be held in Jaffna city in the second week of next month, the date yet has not yet been confirmed. Officials of the relevant provincial administration and central government will attend the launch.

The project will be implemented over a period of two years in two phases. During the first six month phase, focuss will be on activities such as training of Community Support Officers (CSOs) and Public Health Midwives (PHMs); community sensitization and mobilization; setting up/mobilization of community groups (women's groups) who will play a major role in this project and ; preparations for the supply of the supplementary food and necessary logistics.

During the 18-month second phase, activities will be focused on behavioural change and communication on nutritional-related knowledge, attitudes and practices of beneficiaries with the view to ensure sustained improvement in nutritional status; improving the effectiveness of existing nutritional and related interventions, and ; provision of supplementary food to vulnerabale groups in the resettled villages and those living with host families.