08/07/2025
Nkuriza Project
Documentary Film on the achievements of the Project
"NKURIZA " Project, came at the right time (2). It has taught us to provide healthy nutrition for children to ensure they are healthy. That Project has arrived at the right moment. NKURIZA also taught us to eat a balanced diet, fruits and vegetables, starchy foods without forgetting dairy foods. The «NKURIZA ibibondo" Project has arrived at a right moment.
Summary
Good health for children, and women, is a priority of Burundi Government, because they are the foundation of sustainable development.
The government of Burundi has implemented the NKURIZA Project to provide the necessary education to families whose children are suffering from diseases caused by poor nutrition, and to encourage women and youth to understand the importance of healthy reproduction.
The NKURIZA Project is being implemented by the ministry of health and fighting against HIV/SIDA through the aid of world bank. The NKURIZA Project is established in 6 provinces: CIBITOKE, BUBANZA, MAKAMBA, CANKUZO, MUYINGA and KIRUNDO.
As said the Coordinator, the main purpose of NKURIZA Project, as I mentioned, focuses on fighting against malnutrition while integrating issues related to healthy reproduction. This is because proper reproduction has many positive effects on the healthy eating of parents and children, especially since we prioritize the child during the first thousand days.
When does these first thousand days’ period begin? It starts from conception until the child is two years old. This is where we encourage the mother to eat well; take suitable nutrition, which includes three main foods: fruits and vegetables, starchy foods, and dairy foods so that the parent will give birth to a healthy baby. Once the baby is born, up to six months, we advise the parent to exclusively breastfeed the baby without any other interference for the child to thrive well. After those 6 months, it`s time to add complementary feeding until the child reaches two years.
If a parent gives birth to another child whereas the first has not yet reached those two years, she is careless to him, as she cannot provide proper follow up. She then starts to focus on her pregnancy and neglects toddler.
Another challenge is that the parent is often overwhelmed. she cannot find time to care for the children she has given birth to because as you know a mother is a pillar of development in the household. yes, in our endeavours that have been executed, there is what we have done in order to see how we can enhance the resources of those with limited means, they have eventually established their associations and came together. The 1st thing we learned from them is that they made associations composed of people, I may call this a group they take part in and They began planning how to develop themselves first.
Finally, we supported these associations based on the plans some have thought of in those six provinces. As the Project is established in about eight hundred eighty-eight households, there is an association everywhere. We provided them with various livestock, over six thousand goats have been provided, about three thousand pigs, but currently they have multiplied a lot because they have established sharing system. They shared resources and livestock within through associations. Some invested in farming, there are places where you find they have an exemplary model field, where a parent might say, since I was born, I have never had such a good maize field, but because of the teachings and the resources you gave us, we rented lands and started farming.
Many had no lands, but they rented lands, there are also those who have invested in livestock farming, others in crop production and you find that people have plans but they were in lack of means.
(…) The name is what defines a person because NKURIZA Project, aims to grow children, especially by treating and preventing them diseases caused by malnutrition. Throughout all the regions we've visited, either parents or community health leaders, MAMA MUCO, health officials, and local authorities, they confirm that children health has significantly improved after four years of working with the NKURIZA Project.
The essence of it all, is how NKURIZA Project has taught parents to cook healthy nutrition for their children using locally available foods. Before the launch of this Project, families were often affected by diseases stemming from poor nutrition. In addition to education, NKURIZA Project has encouraged them to be in associations so that they can develop themselves and their community especially providing healthy food for their children. NKURIZA Project assisted them with money and this helped them to fulfil profitable plans. They affirmed that their lives have truly changed.
During a marathon journey that we carried out in all provinces where the Project was involved, some of the beneficiaries we met showed us their satisfaction with the contribution of the Project:
Benefiter 1 of Makamba Province:
“At first, you can see that there was a problem of malnutrition. It has been solved. This means that for all those children who were tested, for example now there is a kid that you have photographed here; he was among those who have been tested. You can see how much better he has changed. Children’s situation has changed. Additionally, people formed associations; during that time, they started to unite. For me, as an agronomist, it has pleased me because you know we want people to be in associations”.
Benefiter 2 of Makamba Province:
“NKURIZA Project found me in bad situation because my children were in bad situation too. they appeared to be suffering from kwashiorkor, which is linked to food scarcity. As they gave us chickens, we made poultry, and children began to eat eggs, when they need meat, we boucher and give to them and this improves their health. Thus, they ever told us that feeding children with fish and portion is not ideal; instead, we need to feed them with Foods like legumes, Irish potatoes and beans because they are healthy. we were not aware of that”.
Benefiter 3 from Nyanza Lac commune:
“We united to improve our situations after being given support. We realized that many of our children were suffering from poor nutrition, which led us to be in associations and we now seek for solutions by producing palm oil as you can see. We are now able to produce two or three gallons of oil, which we can sell and support ourselves with what we were not able to get before. The assistance we received helped us to go ahead, it included rabbits and chickens, which helped us significantly. Out of the profit we got from this oil, we have bought a goat and she now has reproduced.
Benefiter 4 from Bubanza Province:
“On the first day when we started to make tests, it was in June 2023, We had terrible children, they were about 680. it means among those children, some were in the red and others were in yellow categories. The children in the yellow category are those we send to the local health center (IKIGO FARN NGARUKIRABUZIMA), while those in the red category need to be taken to the hospital for treatment.
At that time, it was very challenging because there were only two health centers in whole quarter. We managed to select around 36 children from the yellow category. You might find one Mama MUCO managing two centers, with 24 children in one and an othe12 in another. Alternatively, both of them could be serving in two centers, meaning 12 would leave and other 12 would enter, resulting in 48 children in total in one centre who are only in yellow colour category without including those in red category”.
Benefiter 5 from Gihanga commune, Bubanza Province:
“This Project, I can say, has arrived at the right time, and I can say it has received very good feedback in our area because we have reached even a simple citizen and he benefited from the support of the Project. Regarding health promotion, as I mentioned, we have received training, and especially there was a new method introduced to help the citizens. This new method is what they call Sayana Press, which came in a way that helps us with health promotion. We taught this method until we were able to instruct the community health leaders. When we are currently working together, and we see that citizens have embraced it significantly, and when we talk to them, they appreciate it a lot, saying this tool is great. How will we know to inject it by ourselves without passing to the community health leaders”?
