The Japan Social Development Fund (JSDF) works with local organizations to reach vulnerable communities. Most JSDF grants are made directly to local nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and civil society organizations (CSOs) to better target and access specific vulnerable groups, improve the implementation of community-driven activities, and increase sustainability.
In Cambodia, JSDF provided a $2.7 million grant to the NGO Planète Enfants & Développement to establish community-based childcare services for garment factory workers. A 1997 law requires companies that employ more than 100 women with young children to establish on-site childcare or pay for outside services, but few employers comply, leaving working mothers vulnerable. Ninety percent of Cambodia’s 800,000 garment factory workers are women.
With JSDF support, the NGO created 13 childcare centers supporting over 130 children and trained local staff and parents. To ensure the centers' long-term operational autonomy and financial viability, an innovative cost distribution model was piloted involving local authorities, JSDF, and parents. The Bank Group is drawing on these results to inform ongoing policy dialogue with the government on introducing a new national childcare sub-decree.
The activities in this story were implemented with the generous support of the following development partners:
Japan
For more information on how trust funds help coordinate, innovate and catalyze development action, please see the World Bank Group’s FY24 Trust Fund Annual Report.
