In the just unveiled budget, social protection received a fair share of the total. That item covers quite a lot of ground; from improving the living conditions of Rwandans, easy access to medical care and special programmes for the most vulnerable such as the Vision 2020 Umurenge where they are given livelihood.

Malnutrition is fought through initiatives such as the One-Cow-Per- Family programme, distributing Fortified Blended Foods to children aged between six and 23 months as well as pregnant and lactating mothers.

Fighting malnutrition is also taken to schools through the One Cup of Milk per child under the age of five. This initiative has played a role in reducing the school dropout rate as well as stunting. Under the new budget, it is amply catered for, so it is quite surprising to hear that the free school milk programme is not running smoothly.

Many school heads complain that the distribution is erratic and irregular. Some schools allege that they received their consignment at the beginning of the programme and nothing since then.

Now it turns out that officials from the Early Childhood Development Programme cut off some schools from the milk policy because some students came from well-do families. It is understandable that those who can afford a balanced meal cede their place to the most vulnerable, but the approach is wrong.

Children in a school cannot be given a blanket categorization as not all share the same living conditions. There is a need for schools to identify needy children and not put them all in the same basket, otherwise it is defeating the very purpose of the milk programme.

editor@newtimesrwanda.com