During his previous official visit to Nyamagabe district, President Kagame was extensively concerned about the widespread issue of malnutrition and stunting in the district.
He urged the residents as well as their leaders to use everything within their means to solve those two problems.
It is in this regard that Nyamagabe district’s administration came up with homegrown solutions, which have proven to be effective, to address the issue.
Jean Bosco Bikorimana, the Youth Volunteers coordinator in Nyamagabe district speaks to the media on the role of volunteers in fighting malnutrition.Courtesy
This was carried out under the ‘Stunting Prevention and Reduction Project (SPRP),’ which is implemented by the local administration, Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC) and the National Child Development Agency with the support of the World Bank.
The team deployed community youth volunteers to fast-track the growth and operations of Early Childhood Development – ECD—centres in different areas.
"We wanted an efficient management and enforcement of this programme, and the youth volunteers facilitated in behavioural change communication by travelling throughout the areas sensitizing people to send their children in ECDs and cooking a balanced diet,” Esther Mukanoheli, the head of ECD based in Kibirizi sector of Nyamagabe district, commented.
She added: "This had a greater impact because parents were taught the role of ECDs and some wanted their toddlers to be enrolled before they reach three years.”
Kibirizi sector’s ECD centre caters for 140 toddlers. The sector has 32 youth volunteers.
The youth volunteers’ coordinator in the sector, Jean Bosco Bikorimana, reiterates his pride to be part of the team.
Children are served Shisha Kibondo porridge in ECD center every day. Courtesy
"We are proud to be in these duties, and we hope it will be impactful…we got involved in curbing malnutrition and stunting among children, from the village to the district coordinator, we became supervisors to ensure porridge floor is distributed and delivered evenly,” he narrated.
Bikorimana recalls how, in some areas, they have been confronted with people’s resistance to change.
"In some families, there was also an issue of family relatives who wanted to consume the maize flour that was exclusively reserved for the kids. We sensitised them, in addition to teaching parents how to prepare a balanced diet,” he added.
The same experiences are shared by Josephine Niyirora, a 33-year-old youth volunteer who is also taking part in the exercise.
"As young people, it is our pride to take part in these activities, because these are our future countrymen and women, being here and supporting in preparing a balanced diet, conduct meetings and other awareness-raising campaigns on healthy practices is the right thing to do,” she said.
Since the ECD service interventions, stunting has decreased from 51.8 per cent in 2015 and 33.6 per cent, according to the 2020 Demographic Health Survey.
Some children during the break time at the ECDC in Nyamagabe. According to the recent survey stunting has decreased significantly from 2015 to 2020.Courtesy
According to Venuste Gentil Twagiramungu, the Director of Public Health in Nyamagabe district, the community youth volunteers play a crucial role in monitoring the food supplements delivery and efficiency.
"We wanted to address the issues in handling and management of these porridge flour donated to children, and we embarked on volunteers to help us in this progressive monitoring and awareness-raising and they came as additional efforts to health workers and caregivers among other members of the task force,” he said.
They supervise the delivery in homes and ECDs of Shisha Kibondo which is a highly nutritious porridge flour.