KABUL, Afghanistan, 10 June 2008 -- Under a new agreement signed with UNICEF, the Government of Japan will provide $4.3 million to health programmes in Afghanistan. Approximately 7.5 million children will benefit from improvements in infectious disease prevention and control as a result of the funding. The project is part of the Government of Afghanistan's mother-and-child health and survival initiative. It will enable the procurement of essential supplies, including vaccines for controlling infectious diseases and for the ongoing polio-eradication effort. "We can eliminate polio from Afghanistan and we are determined to reach all the children in the country despite the security challenges," said UNICEF Representative in Afghanistan Catherine Mbengue. "This grant will go a long way to sustain and strengthen the Government of Afghanistan's relentless effort to eradicate polio completely." To read the full story, visit: http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/afghanistan_44419.html