Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) has donated US$8 million (Tk 62 crore) to Unicef Bangladesh to help reduce preventable deaths in children and women by improving maternal, newborn and child health interventions.

Kim Bok-Hee, resident representative of KOICA Bangladesh Office and Edouard Beigbeder, Unicef Bangladesh representative, signed an agreement to this effect in Dhaka on Sunday, said a press release.

This is the second time that Unicef Bangladesh received a donation from KOICA in a bid to spread out the achievements.

The donation will be used over four years to provide an integrated package of priority health interventions that will cover an estimated 6.4 million people, including pregnant women, children under-5 years old and women aged between 15-49 years.

“We are hoping that this contribution will help accelerate progress towards achieving Millennium Development Goal 4 and 5 on the reduction of child and maternal mortality,” said Kim Bok-Hee.

In close collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Unicef will work to reduce maternal, neonatal and under-five mortality and morbidity and improve child growth and development in two districts, Khulna and Tangail. It will focus on the promotion of antenatal care, skilled delivery at birth, post-natal care, essential newborn care as well as maternal nutrition, said the release.