Caritas Rwanda Launches Rehabilitation Program for Malnourished Children

Kigali, 28 July, 2023 / 8:51 PM

Over 100 malnourished children in Rwanda’s Rulindo District in the Catholic Archdiocese of Kigali are beneficiaries of a comprehensive rehabilitation program that Caritas initiated in the East African nation.

Caritas Rwanda officials say that the program dubbed Gikuriro Kuri Bose (GKB) is aimed at addressing acute malnutrition that had affected many children in Rwanda’s northern district.

Through the program, the development arm of the Church in Rwanda collected data on all affected children in the Rulindo district and allocated Frw 1,475,000 (1,253 USD) to help their families undertake a 12-day rehabilitation process.

The entity says in a Wednesday, July 26 report that a total of 197 malnourished children were rehabilitated through the program.

Support included the purchase of nutrient-rich foods such as ready-to-use therapeutic foods (RUTFs), milk, and locally available nutritious foods to feed the affected children and meet their nutritional needs.

Malnutrition in the affected district is caused by the country’s food insecurity, poverty, limited access to healthcare, and “lack of family planning,” according to information provided by Caritas Rwanda.

The officials of the development and humanitarian arm of the Episcopal Conference of Rwanda (CEPR) say the GKB program, “involved the same stakeholders to initiate a comprehensive rehabilitation of acute malnutrition for all affected children.”

Caritas Rwanda has reported an improvement in the health of the beneficiaries of the program, saying, “Their weight and height have increased and their general state of health has improved considerably.”

 “The program’s emphasis on continuous monitoring and follow-up will enable the rehabilitation process to continue until the children have fully recovered.”

Besides providing food to the children, the program also focused on educating and raising awareness in the community to reduce the rate of malnutrition.