| During the recent visit to Indonesia by President Barack Obama, the United States Millennium Challenge Corporation, or MCC, announced a grant for $600 million to support Indonesia's efforts to reduce poverty through economic growth. The grant will fund three projects designed to expand the use of renewable energy and improve natural resource management, reduce low birth weight and childhood stunting, and modernize public procurements to lower costs and root out waste, fraud, and abuse. Under the terms of the MCC compact, over half of the $600 million is devoted to the Green Prosperity project. This will help provide viable renewable energy alternatives and help improve land use practices and natural resource management. "We think that rural people will be able to raise their incomes while reducing their reliance on fossil fuels and on logging," said U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Indonesia will also have the first-ever MCC compact with a focus on early childhood nutrition. Ensuring nutrition during the 1,000 day window from a woman's pregnancy to a child's second birthday is the single most effective investment in a child's physical and cognitive development. |
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