There is a need for increased efforts to reduce stunting among children to 15 per cent in Southern Province from the current 21.7 per cent levels, Governor Alice Kayitesi has stated. She made the case of replicating the model used in Kamonyi District, where stunting has decreased from 21.3 per cent in July 2022 to 10 per cent in June 2024. “Stunting among children was at 36 per cent in Kamonyi District in 2015. This is a lesson that other districts can eliminate stunting,” she said. ALSO READ: Rwanda’s journey towards child nutrition, growth The district is conducting a Competitive Health Care Delivery competition model aimed at promoting excellence in healthcare delivery. Kayitesi said that the Southern Province has committed to reducing stunting among children from 21.7per cent in the fiscal year 2023/24 to 15 per cent in the fiscal year 2024/25. Josiane Mukandayisenga, a resident of Rugarika Sector, Kamonyi District, shared her experience: I got pregnant with my second child while the first was still young. Due to financial constraints, both children experienced stunting. My 2.5-year-old child is recovering. Without government interventions, I could not have managed it. Community health workers are guiding us.” According to Jacques Nsengiyumva, the Executive Director of Rwanda Women Adolescent and Child Health Initiative (RWACHI), educating and supporting vulnerable households is essential to eradicating stunting among children. “Saving groups should be created and serve as platforms for education about eradicating stunting and small-scale farming,” he noted. According to the sixth Rwanda Demographic and Health Survey (RDHS 2020), the national rate of child stunting decreased from 38 per cent in 2015 to 33 per cent in 2020. The government aims to reduce this rate to 19 per cent by the end of 2024, and efforts have been put in place to reduce the stunting rate further to 15 per cent by 2029. ALSO READ: Rwanda launches two-year plan to reduce stunting, improve child nutrition The Ministry of Health, in collaboration with various stakeholders, has launched a two-year multisectoral plan designed to accelerate stunting reduction. Isaac Bikorimana, a food and nutrition specialist at the National Childhood Development Agency (NCDA), explained that one of the initiatives is the Community-Based Nutrition Program, which engages local communities in nutritional education and practical support. “Through cooking demonstrations, basic parenting education, and regular anthropometric measurements, the programme identifies malnourished children early and refers them to health facilities for treatment,” he said. “The programme also promotes the establishment of home gardens, ensuring that every household can access fresh vegetables, contributing to better overall nutrition,” he added. The Milk Support Programme supplies milk to malnourished children identified through community health workers. ALSO READ: Fighting child stunting is everybody’s business There is also a plan being implemented in 10 districts, selected based on their high stunting rates or recent increases in stunting. These districts will receive targeted interventions, including the distribution of chickens to vulnerable households to provide a daily source of eggs, a proven strategy to reduce stunting.
