Twenty-one civil society organizations from across South Asia won grants on Wednesday from a $840,000 award pool funded by the South Asia Region Development Marketplace (DM). The winners received up to $40,000 each to implement innovative ideas on how to improve nutrition in their respective countries. Four proposals from Bangladesh were amongst the winners, including the People's Choice Award.
"Undernutrition is one of the most challenging issues facing South Asia," said Isabel Guerrero, World Bank's Vice President, South Asia Region, at the opening ceremony today in Dhaka. "Poor nutrition robs a child of a chance to succeed and live a healthy, productive life. And yet, an investment in nutrition is one of the social policy interventions that has the highest impact for each dollar spent, in improving this child's future."
"The Development Marketplace allows people to express their ideas and innovations in the way they want to and not in any pre-formatted way. This freedom allows them to explore their creativity," said Ms. Humaira Rashid, Assistant Country Director, Concern Worldwide. Titled "Family and Community Approaches to Improve Infant and Young Child Nutrition." the competition was designed to identify some of the most innovative ideas to improve nutrition, focusing especially on children under two years of age and pregnant women. It drew nearly 1000 applications from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Maldives, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, and through a vigorous assessment process by international development experts, the applicants were narrowed down to 60 finalists, who showcased their ideas today in Dhaka. "All of the finalists gathered here today are winners," said Ms. Guerrero, during her opening remarks, emphasizing that the greatest outcome of the Development Marketplace is precisely the learning that comes from the exchange of ideas and experiences between all the participants. Dr. A F M Ruhal Haque, for Health and Family Welfare inaugurated the opening ceremony extending a warm welcome to all participants and praising the initiative. Finance Minister, Abul Maal Muhit handed over the certificates to winners during the closing ceremony.
"If you believe in something, keep at it! I have been working for the last nine years using my own personal funds. This is the first time I got funding. So I really believe that you should keep on doing what you believe in - even if you don't win," said Dr. Rukhsana Haider, Training and Assistance for Health and Nutrition Foundation.
"My organization has worked on HIV/AIDS all along. This is the first time we are working on the issue of nutrition. This has been a challenging experience and will definitely add a lot of value to my work," said Dr. Nazneen Akhter, Executive Director, HIV/AIDS and STD Alliance Bangladesh.
The South Asia Regional Development Marketplace was sponsored by UNICEF, World Food Programme, PepsiCo, the Micronutrient Initiative (MI), GTZ (Germany), and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN).
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