Nyamagabe and Rutsiro districts are to benefit from a $1.9 million (about Rwf1.3 billion) package from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).

The fund, that was committed through the One UN Joint Nutrition Programme, will be used to purchase 1,437 metric tonnes of fortified blended food to prevent stunting and reduce malnutrition of over 15,000 children below the age of two as well as pregnant and breastfeeding women.

Jean-Pierre de Margerie, the country director of World Food Programme (WFP), said as a way of fighting chronic malnutrition, pregnant women, nursing mothers, infants and young children above six months need to eat energy dense and nutrient rich food.

"Without such food, children’s chances of reaching their full physical and mental potentials are seriously compromised,” Margerie said.

The nutritious food will be distributed by WFP while FAO, Unicef and WHO will intervene with other key activities such as improving household food production and use, enriching and fortifying children’s diets, disseminating information on optimal nutritional practices and providing nutritional training to health officials.

Giancarlo de Picciotto, the SDC regional resident director of cooperation, said nutrition projects are among the highest impact development activities.

"Given the multiple causes of malnutrition, different and well-coordinated interventions are needed,” Picciotto said.

The approach emphasises good nutrition during the first "1,000 Days” of life, which starts at the moment of conception up to when a child reaches the age of two years old.

The One UN Joint Nutrition Programme started in 2013 with an SDC fund of $3 million (about Rwf2 billion) and is intended to pilot and model a multi-stakeholder approach to address the persistent issue of chronic malnutrition in the country.

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