Ngoma district administration commended the village kitchen (igikoni cy’umudugudu) over reduction of malnutrition saying it helped residents to change attitude and embraced fighting malnutrition.
Ngoma district says that this was achieved through intense sensitization to where residents understood the basics of preparing a nutritious meal different from what they thought nutritious meal was.
Malnutrition exists in Ngoma district due to ignorance than lack of food with nutritional value because such food is grown in plenty.
Drocelle Nyiribambe, one of the residents that had malnourished children said that before the village kitchen she thought that what matters is eating for satisfaction but not what you eat.
“I had malnourished child before because I thought children eat well when they eat enough. After embracing the program, I started feeding my family nutritious foods and the child is cured,” said Nyiribambe.
District authorities blame the existence of malnutrition on ignorance not lack of food because the district has a lot of food, adding that it’s the same reason community health workers embarked on sensitizing residents to embrace a village kitchen program.
Aphrodise Nambaje, mayor of Ngoma district says that many residents thought they ate balanced food until they were proved wrong in village kitchens, saying foods with nutritional value like eggs, milk were sold than eaten.
The major problem was ignorance that made some residents to make sales out milk and eggs instead of including them in their meals. However, residents mindset changed after the program and malnutrition reduced,” said the mayor.
The mayor added that in association with IRC (International Rescue committee) and other partners, malnutrition greatly reduced due to sensitization through village kitchen.
To fight malnutrition, programs such as village kitchen (igikoni cy’umudugudu), kitchen garden (akarima k’igikoni) and evening for parents (umugoroba w’ababyeyi) among others were embraced and yielding positively.