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Peru highlights early childhood policy gains at UNICEF session
🇵🇾 Paraguay /Culture & Society

Peru highlights early childhood policy gains at UNICEF session

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News From a news agency New plan
  • Peru presented its advancements in public policies for early childhood at a UNICEF Executive Board session in New York.
  • The Juntos program, supported by UNICEF, provides economic transfers and access to health and education services for families in poverty.
  • The Transferencia Primera Infancia (TPI) initiative has shown significant impact, with over 90,000 families benefiting and a notable reduction in anemia among children.

Peru highlighted its "significant progress" in early childhood policies at the annual session of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Executive Board in New York. Minister of Development and Social Inclusion Lily Vásquez presented the results of the Juntos social program, which aims to ensure pregnant women and children in poverty access maternal and child health services and education.

we firmly believe that the fight against poverty cannot be limited to addressing immediate needs

— Lily VásquezMinister of Development and Inclusio Social Lily Vásquez explained the philosophy behind Peru's social policies.

The Juntos program offers an economic incentive of 200 soles (approximately $58.60) every two months to beneficiaries. Additionally, it provides the Transferencia Primera Infancia (TPI) incentive of 100 soles (approximately $29.30) every two months to households with pregnant women and infants under 12 months, promoting access to essential health services for early childhood development.

the impact of the economic bonus of the Transferencia Primera Infancia (TPI) of the Juntos program, developed with the support of Unicef in Peru, marked a turning point in Peruvian social policy

— Lily VásquezMinister of Development and Inclusio Social Lily Vásquez described the effect of the TPI program.

Vásquez stated that the TPI, incorporated into the budget in 2023, has been recognized as the Peruvian state's most efficient public management strategy. "A year later, the Transferencia Primera Infancia found solid confirmation of its value and impact in the results of this evaluation, ensuring its continuity and financing for more than 90,000 families in poverty and extreme poverty nationwide as of April," she added.

A year later, the Transferencia Primera Infancia found solid confirmation of its value and impact, ensuring its continuity and financing for more than 90,000 families in poverty and extreme poverty nationwide as of April

— Lily VásquezMinister of Development and Inclusio Social Lily Vásquez reported on the program's success and funding.

Peru will allocate approximately $16.5 million this year to sustain this policy, an increase of nearly 15% since 2023. The minister also noted that since 2023, over 22,000 children in the Juntos program diagnosed with anemia at six months overcame the condition by twelve months. Merlyn Mauricio, a program beneficiary, shared how the support transformed his life, enabling him to attend a high-performance school.

the accompaniment she received from early childhood transformed her life and allowed her to build a future project

— Merlyn MauricioMerlyn Mauricio, a beneficiary of the Juntos program, described the program's personal impact.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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