On Musagara, Migege and Nzozi hills, cases of malnutrition among children under 5 are declining

The French ambassador in Burundi, Jeremy Blin, together with John Agbor, UNICEF Representative in Burundi, Housainou Tall, Country Director and WFP Representative, and Clara M. Anyangwe, Representative of UN Women, paid a visit to projects funded by France in the provinces of Muramvya and Ruyigi from May 31 to June 1, 2023.

In Muramvya province, the delegation paid a courtesy visit to the Governor, then headed for the hills of Musagara and Muramvya to meet the beneficiaries of the “Multisectoral fight against chronic malnutrition of children under 5 in Burundi” project, implemented by UNICEF and UN Women through the Caritas NGO.

In Musagara, a UN Women intervention site, the Ambassador had the opportunity to visit some of the achievements of the “Zinduka Dukore” group. Made up of 24 women, this group uses the knowledge acquired in farmers’ field schools on good cultivation practices to grow crops with high nutritional value. “Zinduka Dukore” also demonstrated the process of preserving vegetables using the lacto-fermentation method which keeps them in good condition for up to 6 months.

Jeremy Blin then visited the Cooperative Twungubumwe Alliance on Muramvya hill. This small and medium-sized enterprise (SME), supported by UNICEF with funding from the French government, is helping to improve the availability and access to nutritious food to reduce chronic malnutrition. Désiré Kwitonda, Head of the company, mentioned in his welcoming remarks that the project "Supporting small and medium-sized enterprises in the production of high-nutritional-value products for the multi-sectoral fight against malnutrition in children under the age of 5" has enabled the company to obtain a good quality porridge flour nicknamed "Nderagakura Porridge", thanks to support in materials and equipment meeting standard norms.

The "Twungubumwe Alliance" cooperative produces certified flour with high nutritional value for children and adults. To improve access, it has set up nearly five sales outlets, which has helped to increase the consumption of fortified flour by children under 5 years of age, improve the complementary diet of children between 6 and 23 months, and boost the resilience of the region's population.

When asked what makes the “Nderagakura Porridge” so special, Bukeyeneza Carmel, Production and Quality Manager at Twungubumwe Alliance pointed out that it differs from other porridges not only in the formula used in relation to the calories a child needs to be healthy but also in its smell and flavor. “When you’ve made the porridge well with a good formula there’s a difference in flavor and smell. We also make sure that the raw materials used are clean which contributes to the good taste of the finished product,” he adds.

Since the start of the project, Twungubumwe Alliance has already produced 25 tons of flour; a large quantity of which has been sold for consumption as porridge by children aged 6-23 months and another for distribution to sick and vulnerable households.

In Ruyigi province, Jeremy Blin, paid a courtesy visit to the Governor of Ruyigi and visited the achievements of the “Improving household resilience to food and nutrition insecurity in Burundi” project implemented by UNICEF and WFP to contribute to national efforts preventing chronic malnutrition.

On Migege hill in Butaganzwa commune, a WFP intervention site, the delegation visited three different households with home gardens (potagers), organic compost production facilities, hygienic hand-washing facilities and improved toilets.

The delegation then went on to Nzozi hill in the Bweru commune to visit a nutritional rehabilitation and learning center (FARN), where UNICEF is implementing growth promotion and monitoring (GPM) activities in support of the Ruyigi health district.

At around 11 a.m., the delegation was greeted by songs and dances from mothers who were present for the growth monitoring and malnutrition screening sessions for children under 2, as well as infant and young child feeding counseling coupled with a cooking demonstration.

As part of this joint project funded by the French government, UNICEF, in collaboration with PRONIANUT and the Ruyigi health district, supported training in growth monitoring and promotion for 307 light mothers and community health workers. 5316 children aged between 6 and 23 months also benefited from growth monitoring and promotion services while over 7000 pregnant and breastfeeding women and child guardians were introduced to good nutritional practices.

Nimbona Conses, 33, a light mother on Nzozi hill, shares the difficulties she and other light moms used to face in their communities. “There were many children suffering from malnutrition, and the only solution when a child fell ill was to take them to hospital despite the difficult financial conditions. However, since we started training on growth monitoring and promotion, and with the arrival of “the Foyers d’Apprentissage et de Réhabilitation Nutritionnelle” (FARN), we’ve noticed fewer and fewer children suffering from malnutrition. When a child is moderately malnourished, he or she is referred directly to these homes where he or she is given a diet containing lipids, carbohydrates, and proteins, and the mother is given advice on how to cook a balanced diet,” she points out.

Conses adds that she often visits households to see if there are other children suffering from malnutrition but also to raise awareness of good feeding practices for children.

The final stage of the visit consisted of a session of activities aimed at preventing child malnutrition. The delegation was able to take part in various stages including taking the child’s weight, filling in the individual form to monitor weight growth in relation to the child’s age, and screening for acute malnutrition at community level using the MUAC bracelet to measure brachial perimeter.