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By Annonciata Byukusenge
Some parents believe that malnutrition and stunting are caused by a lack of sufficient food. However, those who have learned how to prepare a balanced diet that prevents stunting say the problem is not the quantity of food, but rather how it is prepared. Even small amounts of well-prepared, nutritious food can protect children from diseases related to poor nutrition.
Esther Muhawenimana, a 40-year-old mother from Kabazi Village, Nyarugenge Cell, Rubengera Sector, is one of the parents who received support from the Sustainable Agricultural Intensification and Food Security Project (SAIP). She and other parents had children suffering from malnutrition, stunting, and underweight issues.
She said:
“My child had nutrition-related illnesses and was underweight for their age. This was because I didn’t know how to prepare a balanced meal for children. I used to think it was because we were poor and didn’t have enough food.”
She continued to explain that in 2023, local government leaders and community health workers who monitor daily household welfare identified her family as eligible for assistance from the SAIP project to help improve their children’s nutrition.
“They gave us egg-laying hens so our children could eat eggs and overcome malnutrition. They also gave us 10 mushroom-growing logs. They taught us how to prepare balanced meals. Before, we believed that good health came from eating much food, not necessarily nutritious food.”
After learning how to prepare balanced meals, they requested training on how to make mushroom-growing logs instead of only receiving food support.
“We were trained to make mushroom logs. Now I grow mushrooms in a one-meter by one-and-a-half-meter space. When they’re ready, I harvest about 20 kilograms at a time, sell them, and use the money for farming and buying small livestock. I earn about 60,000 Rwandan Francs per month.”
Western Province Governor Jean Bosco Ntibitura said the SAIP project significantly contributed to reducing malnutrition and stunting.
He said:
“In 2020, we had a high rate of child malnutrition, about 40%, but that has dropped to 21.8%, according to the MHC report published in May 2025. We are grateful to our partners. There’s still much to be done, but with joint efforts, we will achieve our goals.”
SAIP activities in the Western Province are in the districts named Nyabihu, Karongi, Rutsiro, Ngororero, and Rusizi.
The Sustainable Agricultural Intensification and Food Security Project (SAIP) is funded by the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP) through the World Bank. The project is implemented under RAB’s Single Project Implementation Unit (SPIU).
