ADB provides US$ 400 mln for health, education services for Indonesia`s poorest

Mumbai (ANTARA News) - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said it has approved a 400 mln usd financial assistance package for Indonesia that will make education and health services more readily available for the country's poorest families.

ADB's assistance package supports Indonesia's ongoing efforts to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) and targets on poverty reduction, health, education and gender equity.

To date Indonesia remains on track to meet its MDG targets on primary school enrolment, however many children are not making the transition to junior secondary education, the bank was quoted by Thomson Financial as saying.

In the health sector, maternal mortality rates are still significantly higher than those seen in many neighbouring Southeast Asian nations. HIV/AIDS rates remain low, but are on the rise, ADB said.

Despite the overall progress Indonesia is making in many areas, significant disparities still exist between the country's most affluent and poorest families on a number of MDG targets, the bank said.

The primary beneficiaries of ADB's support will be women and children from poor households who currently lack sufficient access to quality education and health services, ADB said.

The eight Millennium Development Goals were established in 2001, and are aimed to be achieved by 2015.