Cambodia Sets Aside $53 Million for Maternal and Child Cash Support
Cambodia Sets Aside $53 Million for Maternal and Child Cash Support
PHNOM PENH, Sept. 6, 2026 — The Royal Government of Cambodia has allocated more than 213 billion riel (about US$53 million) in 2026 to provide cash assistance to pregnant women and children under two nationwide, as part of efforts to improve maternal and child welfare and address childhood malnutrition.
The cash-transfer programme is a key component of Cambodia’s social protection system. The National Social Assistance Fund lists the programme among the country’s national social assistance schemes, while Cambodia’s social protection framework identifies support for pregnant women and children under two as an important investment in maternal and child health and nutrition.
According to the government, the programme currently covers six major groups of beneficiaries: pregnant women and children from IDPoor households; workers enrolled in the National Social Security Fund; civil servants and contract or trainee officials; national police and prison officials; incarcerated people and children living with their mothers in prison; and members of capital, provincial, municipal, district, khan, commune and sangkat councils.
The government said the programme has expanded rapidly, with the number of beneficiaries rising from 1,106,630 at the end of 2023 to 2,252,267 by the end of the first half of 2026, representing a 103.52 percent increase.
The expansion reflects the government’s focus on investing in human capital during the first 1,000 days of life, from pregnancy through a child’s first two years, with the aim of supporting physical and cognitive development.
Cambodia’s broader social protection system has also been increasingly integrated through the Digital Social Protection Platform, which brings together major programmes including support for pregnant women, young children, elderly people and persons with disabilities.
The cash-transfer programme is one of six priority policy programmes of the Royal Government’s seventh mandate, under the leadership of Prime Minister Hun Manet, according to the government.
