World Bank provides $50 million to support early years nutrition and child development

The Board of the World Bank approved an International Development Association (IDA) grant of $50 million to support the government of Benin’s efforts to reduce stunting and improve early childhood development outcomes in children under five years of age.

The five-year Early Years Nutrition and Child Development Project (EYNCDP) is the first of a series of three operations aimed at improving the delivery of selected health and nutrition interventions throughout the country. This first project which focuses on 48 communes of the country integrates early stimulation, parenting education and early learning to promote on-track early child development. It also supports primary school feeding programs in 12 communes and includes support to improve policy and multisectoral coordination, decentralized leadership, and management across all the 77 communes of the country.

Benin has made some progress on child health, but child malnutrition remains a major impediment to ensuring the optimal formation of human capital in the country, and one of the key markers of poverty and vulnerability.

The new EYNCDP fits well with Benin’s eight-year National Development Plan- 2018-2025, most specifically on its strategic objective for human capital development, by bringing together multisectoral actions to develop human capital and decentralized public services through early child nutrition, learning and development. It also aligns with the World Bank Group’s Country Partnership Framework for Benin – 2018-2023 and directly relates to the institution’s Human Capital Project which aims to enhance investment in people through nutrition, health care, quality education, jobs and skills, which are key to ending extreme poverty and creating more inclusive societies.

Original source: World Bank
Published on 22 February 2019