Nyabihu: Several districts are adapting various innovations to tackle malnutrition and stunting in their respective locations.
This is due to The Stunting Prevention and Reduction Project initiated by the World Bank’s support.
In Nyabihu district of the Western Province, the community has opted for investing in their population as the capital to reduce stunting and malnutrition in the district.
Through “Bandebereho Initiative”, the district mobilized all fathers to engage in the battle against malnutrition and stunting in order to complement efforts of their female partners.
“Our weapon to combat stunting and malnutrition has been our social behavior change efforts among the population,” explained Pascal Simpenzwe, the district’s Vice Mayor in charge of Social Affairs.
We walked down to the villages and started sensitizing expectant mothers on best antenatal care practices and child health, as we catered for children between 3 to six years of age in Early Childhood Development Centres, he explains.
He emphasized that this aspect should be implemented by both a man and a woman in the family, which means there should be a mutual collaboration between the mother and the father to take care for the child.
Since then, stunting and malnutrition in this district dropped from 59 percent in 2015 and to 46.2 percent in 2022.
One man living in Mukamira sector of Nyabihu district stresses how collaboration between mothers and fathers has promoted healthy nutrition in their area of residence.
Shadrack Ndinayo, a resident of Mukamira Sector, in Nyabihu district says: “As men, we no longer think nutrition of our children is a responsibility of women only, we work together because a child does not belong to the woman solely.”
Charles Irankunda, another 29-year-old father also asserts it is a man’s role to complement the duties of a woman in terms of their children’s growth and development.
“We cared less, we thought it was a work of a woman, without knowing that it was causing malnutrition among children, because in case a woman was not there, a child couldn’t get what to eat,” he narrated.
Apart from mobilizing men to join the battle against malnutrition, 204 families of Mukamira sector raised Rwf 15 million and build an early childhood development center that has now catered for more than 90 toddlers.
Malnourished children in this district dropped from 150 to 92 in the previous years. (End)