Japan grants 1.3 million to Sierra Leone

Japan has made a grant of 1.3 million dollars US to Sierra Leone for fighting the spread of infections diseases. The grant comes at a time when the country has experienced an increase in the amount of deaths from malaria. Japan is one of the biggest contributors to Sierra Leone giving them over 20 million dollars since 1998.

From Sierra Leone newspaper Cocorioko, writer Issa Davies describes what the money will be used for.

The goal of the project is to contribute to the reduction of child and maternal mortality by one-third by 2010 through low cost, high impact interventions from health personnel, families and communities.

These interventions will focus on malaria, acute respiratory infections, diarrhoea, HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention and an expanded programme on immunization as well as maternal and child nutrition.
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The project targets children under the age of five years, pregnant women and young mothers in all the 13 districts in Sierra Leone. About 1.1 million dollars will be used to procure bed nets and other essential drugs in order to reduce the prevalence of malaria and other preventable diseases especially among pregnant women and children under the age of five.