Shisha Kibondo, a nutritious flour for porridge, is one of the key ways that Rwanda is using to fight malnutrition and stunting among children.

Under the program, the flour is provided freely to children from needy families.

Women in the first and second categories of Ubudehe receive the flour during pregnancy and after giving birth. And after 6 months, monthly provisions are allocated to babies until they are two years old.

The Shisha Kibondo flour for mothers - which is a blend of maize, soya, vitamins and minerals - is used to make a highly nutritious porridge to support women during pregnancy and breastfeeding, contributing to the good health of both the mother and her child.

Peninah Dushimirimana receives two packages of Shisha Kibondo flour in Gakeke District on April  23. According to her ,the porridge made of this flour has played a big role in the fight against malnutrition. Craish Bahizi

For infants, the flour comprises a special blend of maize, soya, milk powder, sugar, vitamins and minerals, used to make a highly nutritious complementary porridge for children older than 6 months.

In Gakenke, a district that The New Times visited recently, mothers lauded the program, saying they are noticing the good impact it is having on the lives of their children.

"Our children are growing well. The flour is good for them. My child, for example, who is one year and a few months old, is both healthy and intelligent,” said Peninah Dushimirimana, a resident of Buranga cell, Nemba sector in Gakenke district.

A store of Shisha Kibondo  nutritious flour  for porridge which is  freely provided to children from needy families in Gakeke District on April 23, 2022. Photo by Craish Bahizi

Her counterpart Christine Mutuyimana, a resident of Gatare village in Mucaca cell in the same sector hailed the support that the nutritious flour renders to them during pregnancy.

"When we get to know that we are pregnant, we come here to the health centre and report. After a period of less than a month, they send Community Health Workers (CHWs) to inform us that our provisions are ready. From that time, we start receiving the flour until we give birth. It is so supportive to our bodies during pregnancy, in addition to the fact that it allows us to save money we should have spent on buying it ourselves. So, we can spend this money on other necessities,” she said.

Marie Solange Ntawumvayino, a resident of Kirimbi village, Gahinga cell, Nemba sector says women give birth to healthy babies, and one of the factors for that is the proper nutrition of mothers during pregnancy.

Besides providing them with the flour, efforts are made to always sensitise mothers about the other things they can do as far as feeding their children is concerned and taking care of them in general.

Christine Mutuyimana, a beneficiary of the programme initiated to fight the malnutrition

This is mainly done by the CHWs who meet them at health centres during several health activities that take place there.

Besides, CHWs also often visit families to find out how they are faring in terms of nutrition and other health aspects.

Serafina Muziranenge, a CHW who works in Kanzoka village, Gisozi cell, Nemba sector, says they do a follow-up on the parents that are given shisha kibondo to know whether they are really using it for the intended purpose.

"Currently, they are doing it well. And in our village, we do not have any child that is malnourished. We always teach the mothers to do it right. We also make sure that no one sells the flour. If anyone is caught selling it, they are slapped with a fine of Rwf 1000, and the buyer is slapped with a fine of Rwf 50,000. But so far, we do not have such problems with people selling the flour,” she noted.

Jean Marie Vianney Nizeyimana, the Mayor of the Gakenke told The New Times that currently, a total of 8,237 children are on the Shisha Kibondo program in his district.

The Mayor of the Gakenke,Jean Marie Vianney Nizeyimana speaks about the achievements that the district has so far got in fighting malnutrition.

In addition to this, 2,682 pregnant women, and 2608 breastfeeding mothers are also currently benefiting from the program.