Fighting against malnutrition for the children under five for children under five years through educating communities to establish kitchen gardens and poultry in Burera District of Rwandac

Initiative Year: 2026 | Duration: 3–5 years

Objectives/Background

Project Background:

Malnutrition and stunting remain significant challenges among children under five in Burera District, largely due to limited access to diverse and nutritious foods, low household incomes, and insufficient knowledge on proper nutrition and feeding practices. Many families rely on monotonous diets that lack essential nutrients, contributing to poor child growth and health outcomes. Additionally, limited small-scale food production at the household level worsens food insecurity.

Project Objectives:

The main objective of this project is to reduce malnutrition and stunting among children under five in Burera District. This will be achieved by educating communities on nutrition and empowering them to establish kitchen gardens and engage in small-scale poultry farming. The project aims to improve access to diverse, nutritious foods, enhance household food security, and promote sustainable practices that support better child health and development.

Context/Target Group

Target Group:

The primary target group of the project is children under five years of age who are most vulnerable to malnutrition and stunting. The project also directly targets their caregivers—especially mothers and guardians—by equipping them with knowledge and practical skills in nutrition, kitchen gardening, and small-scale poultry farming. Additionally, vulnerable households with limited access to nutritious food are a key focus.

Target Community:

The project is implemented in communities within Burera District, particularly in rural areas where food insecurity, poverty, and limited awareness of proper nutrition practices are prevalent. These communities often depend on subsistence farming and face challenges in accessing diverse and balanced diets. The project prioritizes villages with high rates of malnutrition and aims to engage the wider community to ensure sustainable impact.

Implementation Approach

Implementation Approach and Core Activities of the Project

The project “Fighting against malnutrition for children under five through educating communities to establish kitchen gardens and poultry in Burera District” adopts a community-based, participatory, and sustainable implementation approach. The strategy is designed to address both the immediate and underlying causes of malnutrition by combining nutrition education, household food production, and behavior change interventions. The approach emphasizes empowering local communities with practical knowledge, skills, and resources to ensure long-term impact and ownership.

1. Community-Based Participatory Approach

At the core of the implementation is active community engagement. The project begins by involving local leaders, community health workers (CHWs), and beneficiaries in planning and decision-making processes. This participatory approach ensures that interventions are tailored to the specific needs, cultural context, and realities of households in Burera District. Community meetings, sensitization sessions, and stakeholder consultations are conducted to introduce the project, build trust, and encourage collective responsibility.

By engaging community members from the start, the project fosters a sense of ownership, which is critical for sustainability. Local structures such as village committees and women’s groups are strengthened and utilized to support implementation and monitoring.

1. Capacity Building and Nutrition Education

A major pillar of the project is educating caregivers—especially mothers—on proper nutrition and child feeding practices. Training sessions are organized to increase knowledge on balanced diets, breastfeeding, complementary feeding, food preparation, hygiene, and sanitation.

The project uses practical and interactive training methods, including demonstrations, group discussions, and peer learning. Caregivers are taught how to prepare nutritious meals using locally available foods. Special emphasis is placed on the first 1,000 days of a child’s life, which is a critical period for growth and development.

Community Health Workers and selected lead farmers are also trained as trainers (Training of Trainers – ToT model). This ensures that knowledge is continuously shared within the community even beyond the project duration.

1. Establishment of Kitchen Gardens

To improve access to diverse and nutritious foods, the project supports households in establishing kitchen garde

Partnerships & Areas for Strengthening

Areas to Strengthen Through Strategic Partnerships

The project “Fighting against malnutrition for children under five through educating communities to establish kitchen gardens and poultry in Burera District” is designed as a holistic, community-driven intervention. While its core components—nutrition education, kitchen gardening, and poultry farming—provide a strong foundation, strategic partnerships are essential to deepen impact, scale results, and ensure long-term sustainability. The following sections outline key areas of the project that would benefit significantly from strengthened partnerships, along with the rationale and potential contributions of different stakeholders.

1. Technical Expertise in Nutrition and Health

One of the most critical areas for strengthening is access to advanced technical expertise in nutrition and public health. While the project already provides basic nutrition education, partnerships with specialized health organizations, universities, and research institutions can enhance the quality, accuracy, and depth of training.

Such partners can support the development of standardized training curricula aligned with national and international nutrition guidelines. They can also help integrate more advanced topics such as micronutrient deficiencies, growth monitoring, early childhood development, and maternal nutrition.

In addition, partnerships with health institutions can improve screening and referral systems for malnourished children.