Grant to Help Viet Nam Improve Disadvantaged Children's Development
MANILA, PHILIPPINES - Japan and the Asian Development Bank are helping Viet Nam expand its investments in early childhood care and development (ECCD), a program that has a significant impact on children's health and their readiness to learn. To support the Government's expansion of the country's ECCD programs to disadvantaged populations, the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction (JFPR) is extending a $1.9 million grant to pilot community-based ECCD models, targeting children less than 3 years of age and their care givers in selected ethnic minority groups and migrant workers. ADB will manage the grant. "ECCD provides opportunities for innovation to move from traditional institutional approaches to community-based approaches, especially relevant for disadvantaged populations," said Barbara Lochmann, Social Sector Specialist of ADB's Southeast Asia Department. "ECCD is a strong priority for the Government, which recognizes the importance of child development as key to developing an educated labor force for future economic development." The Community-Based Early Childhood Project will help identify how child care and development activities can be brought into the remote ethnic minority communities. The project will also improve access to affordable day care for the communities. Despite the economic boom, Viet Nam faces an increasing disparity between and within rural and urban areas. Nearly half the ethnic minority residents in the Northwest and Central highlands suffer from hunger, and there is limited access to health services. Ethnic minority children are not only deprived of basic social services but also have lower academic enrolment rates. As the economy rapidly industrializes, rural-urban migration is increasing. Many of the migrant workers from the poorer parts of central Viet Nam are most disadvantaged since they do not have access to basic social services nor social support networks to care for their young children. This rural-urban migration creates new demand for child care in the absence of affordable day care centers. About ADB | 
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