Reaching the Most Vulnerable in Rwanda

The tiny nation of Rwanda is the most densely populated country in Africa, with a population of more than 10 million in an area smaller than the state of Maryland. Rwanda is one of the poorest countries in the world, ranking 166 out of 187 countries listed in the U.N. Development Program’s Human Development Index.

Crossing over from Rwanda into Uganda you can sense the hopeful energy of a young country in the process of renewal. From the hilly city center of Kigali we traveled every day with local staff into the village of Ndera, on the outskirts of the urban sprawl. Only 30 minutes from the center, but a SO far away in terms of access to resources. We were so thankful to be hosted by the AMAZING organization, Gardens for Health International. While we were in Ndera we trained the nutrition outreach staff at GHI and also the main nutrition program manager for Partners in Health.

Both of these organizations focus on providing nutrition education to the most vulnerable portion of the population, and our trainings were met with much appreciation. We played games, made recipes, learned about value-added foods, studied food as medicine, and popped homemade popcorn (many of our leaders could not believe there was no machine needed!). For the final food culture meal the group prepared Isombe and rice, a local dish that is as labor intensive to prepare as it is delicious. Think pounded cassava leaf gravy with eggplant and peanut flour!

Each of the individuals we trained works with hundreds of families a year, making an incredible impact on reversing malnutrition for the most vulnerable. We are so thankful to have worked with such amazing Local Leaders!