Australia provide grant for health project

Australia provide grant for health project

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia and Australia signed a memorandum of
understanding yesterday for a A$16 million grant for health
projects in the East and West Nusa Tenggara provinces.

The State Minister of Population/Chairman of the National
Family Planning Board Haryono Suyono said after the signing
ceremony that the projects are meant to improve family planning
programs and health condition in the two provinces.

Australian Ambassador Allan R. Taylor said the A$16 million
(US$12.1 million) grant will also focus on women's reproductive
health and family planning.

"The Indonesian government is providing A$2 million for the
six-year project," he said.

Minister of Health Sujudi said that the two provinces need
extra attention from the government because of their high rates
of maternal and infant mortality.

"The grant is very useful for us because the government cannot
afford to overcome the problems," he added.

Another memorandum of understanding was signed by Sardin
Pabadja, deputy for the planning and analysis program of the
Board, and Ali Ugur Tuncer, Indonesian Country Director of the
United Nations Funding for Population Agency (UNFPA)-Netherlands.

The UNFPA grant of US$988,750 will cover a period of two
years, starting last January, and will be used for an
international training program for family planning officers.

Indonesia has offered its assistance to help Tanzania, Malawi
and Ghana in their efforts to improve the implementation of their
population programs.

Fifteen officers from each of the African countries will study
special aspects of the program during a two-month training stint
in Indonesia, which includes a month-long language training
course.

The ceremony was also attended by the visiting Tanzanian
Minister of Economic Planning, Isaac Abraham Zepetu. (05)