DHAKA: The World Bank (WB) Tuesday approved approximately $1.1 billion for three projects in Bangladesh that would benefit almost 36 million people.

The fund will be used in improving the quality of primary education, building coastal communities’ resilience to natural disaster, and increasing the nutrition and cognitive development of children from the poorest households. 

The projects approved by the Bank’s Board of Executive Directors are $400 million in additional financing for the Third Primary Education Development Program, $375 million for the Multipurpose Disaster Shelter Project, and $300 million for the Income Support Program for the Poorest Project.

World Bank’s Dhaka office public relations officer Mehrin A Mahbub confirmed the matter to banglanews.

“These three projects weave a strong story of complementarily in the World Bank’s efforts to create opportunities for the poor—by using cash transfers for mothers to promote better nutrition at home, helping children take advantage of pre-primary education under the primary education program and providing school infrastructure in vulnerable coastal zones,” said Johannes Zutt, World Bank Country Director for Bangladesh.

The additional financing for the ongoing US$300 Third Primary Education Development Program (PEDP3) would continue to improve the primary education sector by increasing net enrollment to 98 percent and the primary completion rate to 80 percent.

Ayesha Vawda, World Bank Task team Leader for PEDP3, said “The additional financing for the Government-led program will contribute to bring 19 million Bangladeshi primary school age children to school, provide them quality learning, and ensure they  complete the primary school cycle,”

The Multipurpose Disaster Shelter Project (MDSP) aims to make the coastal population less vulnerable to natural disasters. The project will construct 552 new multipurpose disaster shelters, improve 450 existing shelters, and build connecting roads and communication networks for easy accessibility in 9 coastal districts.

The Income Support Program for the Poorest (ISPP) project will benefit 10 percent of the extremely poor population, or 2.7 million people in 42 of the poorest upazilas in the country.

The project will provide income support to about 600,000 poorest mothers in exchange for participating in activities aimed to improve their children’s nutrition and cognitive development

BDST: 1352 HRS, DEC 17, 2014