On their own initiative, a group of volunteers started a club in 2019 aimed at tackling a bunch of 'human security issues' in Rutobwe Cell in Nyaruguru District.

Among the most urgent issues they highlighted was malnutrition in Nyaruguru, where about 39 percent of children had stunted. In Rutobwe Cell of Cyahinda Sector, there were 20 malnourished children, who risked stunting. Some households could not afford a balanced diet every day.

At the start, the club of volunteers had 87 members, most of them with secondary school education, who began a savings scheme to raise money to buy chickens, which some were offered to households with malnutrition cases.

Local authorities welcomed the volunteers and tasked them with coordination of early childhood development (ECD) centres in Rutobwe. The club now has 200 members, who save 1000 per week.

"Some families had their children attend the ECD centres and were required to buy one egg every week. What we did was to give them the chicken and now they had the eggs not just for the ECD but also for domestic consumption," says Anisie Mukeshimana, a volunteer.

Called 'Abatasi' (or monitors), the volunteers inquired into every household's nutrition status, and those with malnutrition cases were offered 200 egg-laying chickens. They also built small vegetable gardens (akarima k'igikoni) for the families.

"Some children were not cared for by their parents, who spent the whole day in the fields, and that contributed to stunting levels," Mukeshimana says. "When we took over the ECDs, we were able to ensure that the children got a balanced diet both at the ECD and at home."

The volunteers built pit latrines for the households in Rutobwe who had hygiene and sanitation issues.

With their savings, the volunteers became agents of Uzima Chicken, a big poultry farm. For every 1000 layer chickens they buy, 20 are donated to vulnerable households.

"Abatasi have supported us to afford a balanced diet. They gave me a chicken and they explained the benefits of sending our kids to the ECD, which some of us used to ignore," said Dorothee Nyirarwasa, a resident of Rutobwe who has two kids attending the village ECD centre.

Supported by nutritionists, the volunteers also taught families how to prepare a balanced diet.

"Thanks to the youth volunteers, we were able to treat all the 20 malnourished children and currently we have zero cases of stunting," said Emmanuel Nkurunziza, the executive secretary of Rutobwe Cell.

The rate of stunting in Nyaruguru District decreased from 42 per cent in 2015 to 39 per cent in 2020, according to the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda. A recent survey by Rwanda Biomedical Centre found that the rate has decreased to 34 per cent.

The volunteers now take pride in their contribution to the decline in the district's stunting rate.

"While growing up, we did not have the opportunities available today like nursery schools," said Frederick Manirabona, the club's president.

"So, we want to ensure the children who are born today can have a better upbringing. And what we have done can be emulated by young people in other districts with high malnutrition and stunting rates."

Through supporting initiatives such as the ECD centres, a World Bank-funded project was launched in 2017 to tackle malnutrition and stunting rates in Rwanda.

The government targets to drive down the stunting rate from 33 per cent in 2020 to 19 per cent by 2024.