The benefits of salt fortification, and other news (14 Aug 2018)

Every Tuesday we highlight some of the international development stories from across the globe that have caught our attention.

• Iodine intake requirements for young children could be met by salt fortification, though more households need to be reached. This finding is among the results of the Fortification Assessment Coverage Toolkit (FACT) survey in Pakistan, presented at a seminar organized by the Ministry of Planning, Development and Reform with support from OPM and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN). Read more in The News (Pakistan).

• KP, Pakistan is also soon to embark on the fourth National Nutrition Survey. The study, a collaboration between the Ministry of National Health Services, UNICEF, DFID, and the Aga Khan University, will assess the levels of folic acid, iron, vitamins, and other nutritional statuses in children and women, as well as levels of water and sanitation. Read more in Dawn (Pakistan).

• Solar home lighting can be delivered to 7,000 homes in Zambia after Kazang Solar (Azrui Technologies’ distribution partner in the country) was awarded $1.6 million in funding by the Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund under its Renewable Energy and Climate Adaptation Technologies (REACT) window. Read more in Business Ghana.

• Bangladesh is embarking on the National Urban Poverty Reduction Programme, aiming to reduce urban poverty by providing housing and loans to 20,000 ultra-poor families in cities. Read more in The Daily Star (Bangladesh).

• The Planning and International Cooperation Ministry in Jordan has stated that only 14.5% of aid requested to support refugees has been received. Under the Jordan Response Plan to the Syrian refugee crisis, $2.5 billion has been requested and $365,000 received. Read more in The Jordan Times.

• The process of clearing imported and exported goods in Bangladesh should be made simpler and quicker by a National Single Window electronic gateway. The scheme has been funded by the IFC and DFID, and has been described by the finance minister as ‘potentially a significant and vital step to facilitate trade’. Read more in The Daily Star.

• Only a small amount of health funding is going to adolescents in low- and middle-income countries, a new report has revealed. The paper, published by Harvard University and Melbourne’s Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, reveals that only 1.6% of foreign aid goes to adolescent health. Read more in SBS News.