Peruvian President announces launch of government fund to fight child malnutrition

Peruvian President Ollanta Humala on Monday said the country's central government and regional governments would provide $1.03 million to a fund aimed at reducing child malnutrition, Andean Air Mail & Peruvian Times reports. "Humala said the government aims to lower the [child malnutrition] rate to 10 percent by 2016, from 23 percent in 2010," according to the news service (8/28). "These funds, he said, will be used for the comprehensive care of children and pregnant or breastfeeding women, the provision of vaccines, social programs, among others," Bernama/NNN/Andina write. According to the news services, "The announcement was made during the signing of the National Commitment to the Coordinated Fight Against Child Malnutrition, which Humala described as a 'concrete measure which must bring together all regional governments.'" He said, "What we want to do is eradicate malnutrition. As a government, we are going to fight as hard as we can to eradicate it," the news services report (8/29).