Japan grants $ 73,982 to improve maternal and child health in A’pura

Ambassador of Japan H. E. Kenichi Suganuma (left) and Country Director of Plan International Sri Lanka Supriyanto exchange the GGP Project agreement 

The Government of Japan has decided to provide $73,982 (approximately Rs. 10.4 million) as a grant aid for the ‘Project for Improvement of Maternal and Child Health and the Nutritional Environment in Anuradhapura District’ under its Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Project (GGP).

The Project will be implemented by Plan International Sri Lanka in Padaviya division in Anuradhapura district with the cooperation of the Provincial Department of Health Services in North Central Province. The project aims to construct a health clinic with provisions of medical equipment and improve maternal and child health and the nutritional environment. 

This health clinic will also be able to contribute to the prevention of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) through CKDu screening test and awareness sessions. The Government target of CKDu screening test at this health clinic is about 200 people per month with a view to covering the entire population in this MOH area.

Japan provides its assistance to this project under the focus of ‘Mitigating of Vulnerability’ enshrined in the Country Assistance Policy for Sri Lanka. With this grant assistance, the Government of Japan shows its genuine commitment to reduce vulnerability of malnourished women and children and CKDu patients, improve their accessibility to services, education, etc., which in turn would result in the empowerment of those vulnerable groups and enable them to becoming active contributors to the development initiatives of Sri Lanka.

Plan International Sri Lanka Country Director Supriyanto expressed his gratitude to the Embassy of Japan in Sri Lanka for the generous supports for the construction of the health center. The project will help fulfil the wish of all children and the community in Padaviya to have a healthy start in life particularly in the efforts to reduce the high incidences of malnutrition. Reducing malnutrition of children under five is a priority of Plan International’s health programme as this will lead to the achievement of age appropriate development Milestones. A participatory community mobilisation mechanism will be introduced where parents and communities would play a critical role in taking control over the health and nutrition of their children.

The Grant Contract was signed between Ambassador of Japan Kenichi Suganuma and Plan International Sri Lanka Country Director Supriyanto on 8 March at the Embassy of Japan in Colombo.