Anti-malnutrition drive launched in Gicumbi

A campaign to eliminate malnutrition, spearheaded by the Ministry of Health and its partners, reached Gicumbi District on Wednesday.During the event, the Minister of Health, Agnes Binagwaho, underscored that Rwanda was endowed with plenty of food, stressing that there was no rationale of having cases of malnutrition.She clarified that the country does not suffer from hunger or famine, though there were many reported cases of malnutrition. She highlighted poor food preparation, what to eat and when to eat it, as some of the leading causes of malnutrition.The minister urged the media and other partners to educate and inform the public to improve their nutritional diet to ensure better health.“Every family should have a kitchen garden to plant a variety of foods that will provide a balanced diet to their families. Some households with malnourished children will also be given cows to provide them with milk,” the minister mentioned.She urged all families complaining of insufficient land to set up kitchen gardens to contact their respective local authorities to resolve the issue, underlining that it was unacceptable for anyone to remain malnourished.James Wyndham, the Country Director of Save the Children Rwanda which is partnering with the ministry in the drive, commended the country’s initiative to eliminate malnutrition.“It’s a fantastic push that Rwanda is implementing this at the district level. It’s the first time in 40 years to see community and local government leaders working together to eliminate malnutrition. We shall therefore offer support to join the cause against malnutrition,” Wyndham said.Julien Mukanyarwaya, a resident of Nyamiyaga village, pointed out that the biggest challenge to proper nutrition in her locality was ignorance.“We have the food but we don’t eat it correctly. We also have people who have cows but don’t drink the milk but rather sell it all, while drinking only black tea,” Mukanyarwaya said.Another resident, Anastasia Mushumba, said the government should come to people’s aid to start up poultry or pig farming to earn an income and thereby promote proper nutritional diet.

National

Anti-malnutrition drive launched in Gicumbi