KAMONYI -A Korean organisation, Good Neighbours-Rwanda has pledged to eliminate cases of malnutrition among children in Kamonyi District.

Hong-Soo Chun, the Country Director of Good Neighbours, announced this during the handing over of nutritional foodstuffs to over 340 children in Kagina Cell, Runda Sector last Wednesday.

The NGO also offered 400 mattresses as part of efforts to raise the standards of living among the most vulnerable groups in the area.

 The donation follows a nutritional training programme targeting children and their mothers which was prompted by widespread reports of malnutrition in the area.

"Our hope is to contribute to the government development programmes in health. It is very important to work with the community and ensure that the participation of residents is profound in making this programme a success,” Chun said.

The Mayor of Kamonyi, Jacques Rutsinga, said malnutrition was a big issue in the district due to poor feeding habits.

He however expressed optimism that the support and education would help residents address the problem.

"This has to go hand-in-hand with family planning and ownership by the community,” Rutsinga observed.

The project manager of Good Neighbours-Rwanda, Tite Bizimana, revealed that since April, cases of malnutrition had dropped, adding that the programme has had a positive impact on the health of infants aged below five years of age.

"We had 340 children with malnutrition cases, 30 percent of them were in a state of danger, while 70 percent were moderate. Today, there are no dangerous cases while moderate ones have dropped from 70 to 20 percent,” Bizimana said.

One mother, Alivera Uzamukunda, disclosed that malnutrition in the area is principally caused by ignorance and poverty.

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