Residents of Rusizi district in Western Province of Rwanda might face unique challenges because they live in a location bordering the neighboring DR Congo.

This is a district where most women benefit from the cross-border trade opportunities which are available for few districts in Rwanda.

But initially, they faced a challenge which every working mother normally face and that was where to leave their babies as they travel to sell their merchandise across the border.

With the support of the World Bank, Rwanda Biomedical Centre and the National Child Development Agency, a project dubbed, ‘Stunting Prevention and Reduction Project (SPRP)” has been put in place to facilitate them.

Residents cross the Rusizi border  between Rwanda and DRC in Rusizi District.the ECDs were set up to create a safe space for toddlers in the area as their mothers cross the border to the other side of Lake Kivu. Courtesy

It aims at containing stunting and malnutrition among children, hence creating Early Childhood Development Centers (ECDs) since 2019.

Specifically, for Rusizi district, the ECDs were set up to create a safe space for toddlers in the area as their mothers cross the border to the other side of Lake Kivu to sell fruits, vegetables among other produce involved in cross border trade.  

"We used to travel to DRC carrying produce on the head and having babies on our back, which was taxing for us,” recalled Beline Nyirangendahimana who has her toddler in the Kamembe market ECD.

"There were theft and robbery cases because we were busy taking care of our babies, but since we have where to leave them, it is easy to manage and handle your stuff without theft,” she asserted.

Nyirangendahimana added that their children were exposed to dangers including those associated with poor hygiene, because where they went there were often no toilets.

A caregiver carries a child in Kamembe-based Earily Child Development center . Photo Courtesy

"We couldn’t cook for them because we were not home, one would just buy a dough nut and an avocado and feed them that…but in the ECD, they eat well, take porridge, eat their meals on time and in a hygienic environment. We only come to pick them in the evening,” she said, joyfully.

Apart from the initiative having benefited the parents, it has facilitated the physical and mental growth of the children, according to Chantal Nyirankurikiyimana, another mother who has benefitted from the facility.

"There is a visible change to a child spending a day in ECD: they are very clean, bright, they eat enough and well rested. The weight has increased reflecting good health; this is by far different from what was the case before,” said the mother of four.

The parents also attribute the reduction of reduction of stunting and malnutrition cases in the region to this initiative to establish ECDs.

Rahab Ukwishaka is a vegetable vendor with roots in both DRC and Rwanda.

She is a mother of two and one of her toddlers is being catered for at the nearest ECD in Kamembe market.

"Some kids were experiencing stunting such that would think a six-year old was four because we had to just leave the babies there without knowing whether they have eaten, slept or cleaned regularly,” she observed.

Haston Bitegetsimana, the Programme officer at Action pour la Developpement du People (ADEP) which is a partner orgranisation in the development of these ECDs also highlighted the issues solved through this initiative.

"We realised an issue of some female cross-border traders where some carried their children across the border or criss-crossed the different marketplaces and we felt something had to be done because this was not good for these children.

"That is how we came up with this initiative to ensure the safety of babies and stay with them here so that parents can easily do their job, they leave them here and cross the border to go sell their merchandise,”.

The Kamembe market –based ECD currently has 120 toddlers with age ranging from 30 months to 72 months.

The stunting in Rusizi district reduced from 34.7 percent in 2015 to 30 percent in 2020 according to Rwanda Demographic Health Survey 2020.

In total, Rusizi district has 924 Early Childhood Development Centres.