Musanze 12^th June, 2023 - The Government of Rwanda through different Ministries, the National Child Development Agency (NCDA), and other public institutions launched a two-year multisectoral plan to reduce stunting among the Rwandans children in an event that coincided with the launch of maternal and child health week.

Implementing bodies include Ministries: Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources, Ministry of Local Government; and Agencies: National Child Development Agency (lead), Rwanda Bio-medical Centre (co-lead), Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resource Board, Local Administrative Entities Development Agency and Water and Sanitation Corporation.

The campaign will be implemented in all districts with focus in 10 districts that have high prevalence of stunting. These are 5 districts with most increase in stunting as per the previous Demographic Health Survey (DHS 2015-2022) that are: Gicumbi, Burera, Kirehe, Gasabo, Musanze and 5 Districts that have over 40% of stunting rate according to the same DHS that are: Ngororero, Nyabihu, Rutsiro, Rubavu, Nyamasheke.

In line with the National Strategic Transformation - NST1, Rwanda targets to decrease stunting among children to 19 per cent by 2024. The implementation of this plan will accelerate the existing interventions aiming to improve the wellbeing of the children.

The plan has six main activities that have been extensively proven to effectively reduce stunting and these initiatives will be implemented by different public institutions and government partners. These includes health, agriculture and animal resources, and sanitation and hygiene sectors under the overall coordination of the National Child Development Agency and Rwanda Biomedical Centre.

The key activities of the two-year multisectoral plan

• Review and finance key child nutrition indicators monitored by CHWs, mainly child scorecard and length mat,
• Improve attendance to the ANC contacts with emphasis on the first trimester contact and improve the quality of nutrition counselling;
• Revamp “Centres nutritionnels” at health centre level to improve dietary practices/habits in identified 10 districts;
• Distribution of hens (for eggs) to low-income households for a sustainable rearing of small livestock, and scale-up biofortified products such as iron-rich beans and orange-flesh potatoes;
• Assessment of water source and quality, and propose the appropriate water purifiers to be used at household and community (schools, health facilities and ECD settings) levels, and increase the clean water connection rate at schools;
• Increase SBCC on parents’ responsibility and child feeding, care, and development, with emphasis on the above identified priorities.

Speaking at the launch, the Director General for the National Child Development, Umutoni Gatsinzi Nadine called on all partners in this program to actively play their role.

“I would like to urge the leaders at all levels to have ownership of this two-year plan. The assessment conducted on the causes behind stunting showed that less commitment of the authorities and partners in all levels can be the barrier to stunting reduction. Therefore, the implementation of this plan should not be only limited to the health practitioners, community health workers. This is the fight we are all fighting together against stunting that requires everyone’s efforts in his respective role.” Said Nadine.

As part of the implementation of this plan, a comprehensive social and behaviour change communication campaign dubbed “Hehe n’Igwingira” was developed to help parents and community to adapt to innovative approaches, practices and behaviours that are mean to protect children from malnutrition and stunting.

According to RDHS 2019/20, 33 percent of children under 5 years of age are stunted. This means that over one-third of young children need more nutrition, health, WASH related services to prevent them from stunting and other forms of malnutrition which affect their development. Stunting is a result of multiple factors; thus, a multi-sectoral approach was thought of.