The Minister of Health, Hon. Pablo Marin is please to announce that Belize has been awarded  approximately BZ$6 Million in grant funding from the Japanese Social Development Fund (JSDF) through the World Bank for a project to improve the health and nutrition of children in Mayan communities of the Toledo district. This grant donation was officially handed over at a ceremony on Tuesday October 25th, 2011 in Punta Gorda Town.

The grant is intended to improve the health of children through an approach that focuses on pre-natal care and nutrition monitoring of expecting mothers and also through school health interventions at the primary school level.

The project also intends to address malnutrition in children under age five, develop healthy lifestyle programs for Primary school children, strengthen the access of community-based health services and also promote behavior change in the attitude and perception towards health in the selected communities.

While the Ministry of Health is the grant recipient, the Toledo District Health Council will be the implementing agency responsible for the administration, monitoring and evaluation of the project.

A team from the World Bank lead by Ms. Carmen Carpio visited Belize during that week where they  made site visits to schools in the southern districts and also facilitated workshop sessions with Ministry of health representatives and community leaders of the south.  

The JSDF is funding by the Government of Japan and administered by the World Bank. The fund has been an important source of financing for lower income countries around the world.

For More Information contact:
Dr. Natalia Beer
Maternal and Child Health
Ministry of Health
822-2363/ 2325