Peru Announces 1 Billion Dollar Fund To Combat Child Malnutrition

LIMA, Aug 29 (BERNAMA-NNN- ANDINA) — Peruvian President Ollanta Humala has announced the creation of a fund of more than 2.7 billion soles (US$1.03 billion) a year to fight child malnutrition in the country.

The president said Monday the money will come from the central government and Peru’s regional governments.

The announcement was made during the signing of the National Commitment to the Coordinated Fight Against Child Malnutrition, which Humala described as a “concrete measure which must bring together all regional governments.”

These funds, he said, will be used for the comprehensive care of children and pregnant or breastfeeding women, the provision of vaccines, social programmes, among others.

“What we want to do is eradicate malnutrition. As a government, we are going to fight as hard as we can to eradicate it,” Humala said from the San Martin region in northern Peru.

Humala said the government’s goal is to reduce the child malnutrition rate to 10 percent by 2016, from 23 percent in 2010.

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