From Early Childhood to Better Jobs: Investing in Children for Marshall Islands’ Future

In Majuro, grandmother Christina Jorbon plans carefully around the needs of her four-year-old grandson, Riley.

Since Riley's mother passed away, Christina has been his primary caregiver. Riley is still young and needs someone at home, making steady work difficult. When support arrives through the Marshall Islands' Early Childhood Development Project, Christina stretches it across the essentials that keep a child healthy and cared for: food, toiletries, rice, prepaid electricity, doctor visits, and school needs. "It's really hard to look for money, for food and school because he is very young," Christina says.

Her story reflects a wider challenge across the Marshall Islands, where families are raising children across a nation of atolls and islands spread over a vast ocean. In Majuro, Ebeye, and outer island communities, distance, transport costs, rising prices, and limited services can make the earliest years harder for parents and caregivers.

Those same early years shape a child's future, affecting whether they arrive at school ready to learn, stay healthy, develop the skills needed for better jobs later in life, and contribute to a stronger economy. For the Marshall Islands, investing in children is increasingly important as the country faces climate shocks, rising living costs, and limited economic opportunities. With a young and growing population, its future will depend heavily on whether today's children are equipped for the jobs and challenges of tomorrow.

That is why the Government of the Marshall Islands, with funding from the World Bank Group, is implementing the Early Childhood Development Project II. The project aims to improve coverage of essential reproductive, maternal, newborn, child health and nutrition services, expand early stimulation and learning activities, provide social assistance to families with young children, and strengthen coordination across the government.

Over the past several years, thousands of families across Majuro, Ebeye, and the outer islands have begun receiving support through the project.

Today, 72 percent of children under the age of two receive regular health checkups, and nearly half of pregnant women access antenatal care in the first trimester. More than 2,400 families with young children receive conditional cash transfers, helping them cover food, transport, schooling, and health care. The program also has a strong focus on women's economic empowerment, with 95 percent of the bank accounts receiving payments owned by women. Parent educators are visiting homes to support early learning and parenting skills. Preschool enrolment among three and four-year-olds has increased significantly. Maternal and child health workers are reaching remote islands that previously had limited access to services.

The project reflects growing efforts across Pacific Island countries to strengthen health, education, nutrition, and social protection as foundations for resilience and future jobs. That approach is central to the World Bank Group's work as outlined in its Small States Strategy. And in the Marshall Islands, that starts with children.

"Healthy mothers raise healthy children, and healthy children can grow into capable and compassionate leaders," says Francyne Wase-Jacklick, Secretary of Health and Human Services. "The early years of life are sacred and a critical window. They shape the future learning and wellbeing of a child."

Providing health and social services across a remote island nation is complex.

Through the project, the Government has been strengthening maternal and child health services and expanding outreach to communities that have often been hardest to reach.

"Our partnership with the World Bank has been transformational," says Wase-Jacklick. "We've been able to strengthen our maternal and child health workforce. That means getting child health workers out to the neighboring islands, which means mothers are able to access healthcare without hesitation."

The project also links health care with nutrition, education, parenting support, and social protection, helping support a child's full development and giving mothers more confidence.

The Conditional Cash Transfer program helps families with young children meet basic needs during some of the most financially vulnerable years of parenting.

For Christina, the assistance helps provide stability.

"I buy him food, toiletries, toys that he wants, rice, and cash power," she says. "I save the money if there's leftover."

A key partner is Women United Together Marshall Islands, which helps deliver parenting and early learning support through its Ajri in Ibwinini program. Parent educators work directly with families in their homes, sharing parenting guidance, reading resources, and child development support. Senator Daisy Alik Momotaro, Special Envoy for Gender, Youth and Children Affairs and one of WUTMI's founders, says the program is deeply rooted in Marshallese culture.

"Ajri means children and ibwinini was a word traditionally used only for the children of chiefs," she explains. "But the women chiefs who were part of WUTMI wanted all Marshallese children to be ibwinini. They wanted every child to be valued and prepared for the future."

The World Bank-supported project has helped the program expand beyond Majuro into islands including Jaluit, Ebon, Ailuk, Santo, and Ebeye.

In the Marshall Islands, resilience is not only about infrastructure. It is also about ensuring children grow up healthy, supported, and ready for the opportunities and jobs of the future. Through investments in health, learning, and family support, the country is helping build the next generation of workers, caregivers, entrepreneurs, teachers, and leaders.