Mides and ANII presented eight projects to attend to early childhood
The Ministry of Social Development (Mides) and the National Agency for Research and Innovation (ANII) presented the results of the Early Childhood Sector Fund, which allowed eight research projects to be carried out. On the occasion, Minister Lema said that the existence of structural problems must be recognized and valued the importance of research for the development of public policies.
In addition to the Secretary of State, the Vice President of the ANII, Álvaro Pardo, and the National Director of Social Development, Cecilia Sena, participated in the conference.
During the event “Challenges and opportunities in early childhood”, the projects selected as part of the fund were presented, which deal with cross-cutting issues in early childhood, such as gender, care, health, nutrition, investment in this age group and cultural development. The results of the research are based on data from the Nutrition, Child Development and Health Survey (ENDIS), carried out by Uruguay Crece Contigo
In his speech, the minister stressed the relevance of evidence-based social action and stated that the presentation of the projects is an important step in a country that must recognize the existence of structural issues and problems.
In addition, he affirmed that to generate changes humility is needed and to permanently review the actions initiated. It is important to resort to research and innovation in order to generate inputs for decision-making, which must be above any personal or institutional ego, she considered.
The projects presented will be implemented through different public and private organizations; the ANII will take care of its moderation.
Pardo, meanwhile, expressed that the aforementioned agency intends to bring research closer to local problems and thus provide information for the development of public policies. In this sense, he pointed out that these eight projects seek to address the social problems of Uruguayan children and welcomed the fact that they are working together in search of solutions.
Slogan highlighted the incidence of benefits in reducing poverty
Asked about the reported poverty figures, this Monday the 27th, by the National Institute of Statistics, Lema called for moderation and prudence. He affirmed that the reduction is possible thanks to various factors, among which are the increase in employment and household income, the decrease in informality, good management of the economic situation and the validity of different social benefits.
On this point, the minister highlighted that 140,000 children up to 6 years of age benefited from a 70% increase in family allowances from the Equity Plan, 155,000 households agreed to purchase 13-kilo supergas refills at 50% of the cost and 141,000 have a discount on the electricity bill, through the social bonus of Mides and the UTE.
