Rwanda wishes to raise all its children well, which is why the national school feeding programme is important for them to study well, the Minister of National Unity and Civic Engagement, Jean-Damascène Bizimana, said on Friday, August 2. He stressed that no Rwandan child must drop out of school to work for a living.

This was during the celebration of Umuganura, the National Harvest Day, in Kayonza District, where thousands of citizens gathered to celebrate what has been achieved as well as reflect on the significance of the holiday in Rwandan culture.

"The government cannot implement the programme without your valuable contributions as parents and stakeholders. That is why we call upon non-governmental organizations, religious organizations, the private sector, and Rwandans in general, to support this programme, because if food is not accessible, studying wouldn’t be possible,” Bizimana said.

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The minister added: "Let us not feast and forget others who have less, starting from our children and others in need. We need to take care of them. Let us take the value to our communities."

This year’s Umuganura theme encourages every Rwandan to support the national school feeding programme where all children get nutritious food at school.

Through the programme that aims to, among others, ensure children do not drop out of school, the government covers 90 percent of the school feeding cost per child, with parents contributing about Rwf1,000 per trimester.

Since the start of the school feeding policy, school dropouts dropped significantly, with the most recent development being in 2021, where primary school dropout rates decreased by 4 percent.

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This campaign is also beneficial to local farmers who get readily available markets for their produce. It eliminates the issue of malnutrition and starvation for children who wouldn’t otherwise afford eating at school.

In June, the Ministry of Education in partnership with Mobile Money Rwanda and Umwalimu SACCO launched a campaign to educate parents and communities about the importance of providing nutritious meals to every child in school.

Umuganura, a traditional Rwandan holiday, was halted by Belgian colonists in the early 1900s but was revived in 2011. In a colourful ceremony in Kayonza and across the country, Rwandans marked the day.