A national campaign against malnutrition was launched in Gicumbi District yesterday as government gears up efforts to eradicate undernourishment in the country. Like other development programmes, the success of this campaign largely depends on the goodwill and participation of the masses. According to the Ministry of Health, malnutrition in Rwanda is not a result of nutritious food, but is due to ignorance about healthy feeding. The role the masses in the success of any development programmes cannot be overemphasized. Public participation was key to the success of the first Economic Development for Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS I), which has so achieved more than 90 percent of its targets, with a year to go. The significant reduction in poverty levels – with a million people lifting themselves out of poverty in five years – can largely be attributed to the active involvement of the ordinary people in socio-economic initiatives.However, with as many as 45 percent Rwandans still under the poverty line, it’s obvious that a lot more needs to be done.It is through collective ownership of initiatives such as the anti-malnutrition drive, Mutuel de Sante and Girinka that will ultimately confine poverty to history. And, to get the masses on board, it is imperative that enough knowledge on healthy feeding reaches the grassroots.
