WB approves loan to help Philippines combat malnutrition

Illustrative image (Photo: Philstar)

Hanoi (VNA) - The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors on June 22 approved a 178.1 million USD loan to help the Philippines combat malnutrition.

The WB said the Philippines Multisectoral Nutrition Project will support the delivery of nutrition and health care services at the primary care and community levels to help reduce stunting – characterized by prolonged nutritional deficiency among infants and young children – in 235 municipalities known to have high incidence of poverty and malnutrition.

Ndiamé Diop, World Bank Country Director for Brunei, Malaysia, Philippines, and Thailand said improving the nutritional status of children is key to the country’s goals of boosting human capital while strengthening the country’s economic recovery and prospects for long-term growth.

The WB said the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict is likely to exacerbate the food and nutrition security of vulnerable Filipino households. Globally, food prices, already on the rise since the second half of 2020, have reached an all-time high in February 2022, leading to food security problems around the world. These events indicate that unless immediate action is taken, millions of Filipino children will face the increased risk of undernutrition and likely suffer the consequences of poor school performance and low adult productivity./.