Feed the Children!

The local government workers asked us to help the villages of Masoro,and Kinyana, who needed a hand because of their population of indigenous Pygmy people were battling historical marginalization.  With support, they are now providing their preschoolers with porridge every day and a hardboiled egg once a week. 

The nurses found that about 19% of the students who were screened in Cyaruzinge showed either physical stunting or signs of malnutrition. That is more common than we imagined, and we hope the feeding program can help them!

The communities are interested in raising rabbits to add protein to their diet.  Jean Marie, one of the leaders of Cyaruzinge, has built a very practical and easy-to-clean rabbit hutch with six rooms.  His bunnies are thriving and providing both nutrition and a bit of income for his family. Now, the villagers in Kinyana want to learn how to raise rabbits too. This is a  wonderful opportunity for one village to help another. Good job, Jean Marie!

The porridge kitchen is serving about 150 meals every schoolday.  For some of the children, it is the only nourishment they get because their parents do not have the resources to feed the family.  Sometimes, the program receives donations of milk from the local government officials who are generously supporting this nutritious supplement for the children.

One day, the teacher at the Masoro community Early Childhood Program learned about the support that was being provided to the children in Cyaruzinge Village, and she asked if her 40-or-so students could also get some.  Because of the generous support of our donors, that turned out to be a possibility.  

Team members loaded up a vehicle with packages of porridge for the Masoro children and were also able to share some of the milk donations.  In this way, the children of Masoro also got to have a tasty treat that will help them grow strong and healthy.