UNDP launches anti-poverty program in Mauritania

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Mauritanian government announced the launch of a $4.5 million program to support poverty control activities in the North African country.

According to the UNDP weekly newsletter, the program is targeting women and non-governmental organizations and will help create jobs and other income-generating activities. Micro-financing initiatives will extend loans and give training to recipients and community organizations.

According to the UNDP's 1997 world report on human development, 62 percent of Mauritanians do not have access to education, and 37 percent do not access health services.