Japan has pledged a grant aid totaling US$ 4.55 million to protect women, children and the poor in Nepal.

The assistance was announced at a programme in the capital on Monday. The aid will be provided through the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction (JFPR).

JFPR supports high-impact projects to reduce poverty in developing countries in Asia and the Pacific.

The fund supports activities in Nepal that include provision of small-scale basic economic and social services to the poor.

Masakazu Sakaguchi, Executive Director of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), said that in line with the poverty reduction goals of JFPR, all three projects are targeted at benefiting and empowering the most vulnerable and often excluded groups in Nepali society- women, children and the extreme poor.

JFPR projects also build capacities, and promote partnerships among various stakeholders for tangible and sustainable results through innovative approaches, he added.

ADB's country director for Nepal, Barry Hitchcock, said that the women and children service centers will support the Nepal police in establishing effective measures for protecting women and children who are victims of abuse, whilst the legal documentation effort will enable people in some of the poorest districts to gain access to essential services.

The fortified flour in Chakki mills will help reduce anemia and other illnesses linked to vitamin and mineral deficiencies in children, he added.

Rameshore Khanal, secretary at the Ministry of Finance said that this fund will help the rural Nepalese women, children and poor by raising awareness among them and also help them generate income.

The government of Nepal is helping by setting up women and children service centers for victims of abuse, facilitating legal identity documentation for poor people and production of fortified flour in Chakki mills, the press release issued on the occasion stated. nepalnews.com