The Spain Millennium Development Goals Achievement Fund has pledged $3.5 million for a program to improve health and nutrition for mothers, children and ensure food security in Vietnam, the Dat Viet newspaper reported July 15. The funding, to be given through the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), will be conducted by the Ministry of Health from now up to 2012. The program will benefit six provinces of Cao Bang, Dien Bien, Dak Lak, Kon Tum, Ninh Thuan and An Giang. Vietnam is listed among the world’s top 20 countries with the high malnutrition rate and targets to reduce the rate of underweight children to 18%, children of stunted growth to below 30% and overweight kids to below 5% this year.
