PESHAWAR, Jan 30: The United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef), has launched a one-year-long project to improve childcare scenario in the Mardan district, officials said.

The project, 'Child Survival and Development,' launched in January 2004, is to be implemented in collaboration with the EDOs (health), representatives of the local government and NGOs with related policy issues to be taken up for discussion at the provincial health department, they said.

"It (the project) is extendible on a year-to-year basis," officials said, adding the Unicef has already allocated $108,130 in this regard. Officials said the project focused on the needs of children below the age of three years with a special emphasis on curtailing infant mortality besides creating awareness about the cognitive, nutritional and development needs of children up to six years of age.

"The (project's) target is to provide adequate knowledge in this regard to 80 per cent of the healthcare providers in the Mardan district, compelling them to adopt an integrated approach in connection with the children's well-being", officials said.

Another objective of the programme is to ensure provision of home-based treatment of children for various abdominal ailments, including diarrhoea.

The project aims to improve awareness about breast-feeding, complementary feeding, early child stimulation, micronutrient deficiency control, reduction in malnutrition and complications arising due to various diseases.

Officials said women's committees would be constituted at the community level, which would be looked after by the lady health workers (LHWs) and local women councillors. Women councillors, they said, would also be entrusted with the task to mobilize mothers, encouraging them to seek help in this regard.