{{Kigali}} – {The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) recently committed an additional US$1.9 million to the One UN joint nutrition programme. The contribution will be used to purchase 1,437mt of fortified blended food to prevent stunting and reduce malnutrition of over 15,000 children under two years, and pregnant and breastfeeding women.}
The new contribution follows an earlier contribution of US$3 million made by SDC to the on-going nutrition programme which started in 2013. This additional SDC contribution will further support the multi-sectoral programme aimed at fighting chronic malnutrition in Nyamagabe and Rutsiro districts. The four UN agencies involved in the SDC supported project are FAO, UNICEF, WFP, and WHO.
“To fight chronic malnutrition, it’s essential that pregnant women, nursing mothers, infants and young children above 6 months eat energy-dense and nutrient-rich foods. Without such food, children’s chances of reaching their full physical and mental potentials are seriously compromised” said Jean-Pierre de Margerie, WFP country director.
The nutritious food will be distributed by WFP while FAO, UNICEF and WHO will intervene with other key activities such as improving household food production and use, enriching and fortifying children’s diets, disseminating information on optimal nutrition practices and behaviours as well as age-related dietary needs and providing nutritional training to health officials.
The SDC Regional Resident Director of Cooperation, Giancarlo de Picciotto, mentioned that: “Nutrition projects are among the highest impact development activities. Given the multiple causes behind malnutrition, different yet well-coordinated interventions are needed. We appreciate different UN agencies working closely together; the ONE UN is best placed to pilot such a multi-sectoral approach by using agencies’ different expertise to capitilize on comperative advantages and build synergy.’’
The UN’s nutrition approach emphasizes treatment as well as prevention of malnutrition. It stresses the importance of good nutrition during the first “1,000 days” of life, which starts at the moment of conception up to when a child reaches the age of two years old.
The ONE UN Joint Nutrition Programme is intended to pilot and model a multi-stakeholder approach to address the persistent issue of chronic malnutrition in Rwanda. Specifically, the programme hopes to reduce stunting rates by five percentage points per year. Lessons learned from the project will be used to inform and improve other nutrition activities in the country.
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