The World Bank approved a credit of $61.6 million here on the other day to contribute to the reduction of stunting among children under five years of age in Pakistan by targeting the most affected districts in the province of Sindh, where children are below average height for their age.
The Sindh Enhancing Response to Reduce Stunting (SERRS) project will support the expansion of measures to improve the nutrition status of mothers and children in the 23 districts in Sindh where stunting rates are above 40 percent The project's two components will increase the coverage of a multi-sectoral package of services to deliver results related to maternal and child nutrition, hygiene and sanitation practices and quality and diversification of dietary practices; and strengthen key cross-cutting interventions for better management, communication, results monitoring and piloting of a conditional cash transfer program.
"Stunting is a serious problem in Pakistan remaining unchanged for 50 years. It severely impacts the learning of children which puts them at permanent disadvantage in the age of the knowledge economy," said Illango Patchamuthu, World Bank Country Director for Pakistan. "The project is part of Sindh Government's ambitious accelerated plans to significantly reduce stunting in the province that incentivizes behaviour changes by providing a package of services."
The project will target the nutritionally most vulnerable populations: pregnant and lactating women (PLW) to improve their nutritional status and to reduce the risk of low-birth weight babies; children aged 0 to 59 months-especially the first 1,000 days of life, when stunting and its associated pathologies are most preventable, and the following period when programs can influence healthier future eating habits. "Providing access to safe and reliable water, improved sanitation and hygiene are key to improving the well-being and productivity of citizens. Poor water and sanitation is detrimental to the development of people, and is a major underlying determinant of stunting in children," said Francisca Ayodeji Akala, one of the Task Team Leaders of the project. -PR
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