Nearly Rwf 358 billion to combat stunting in Rwanda

By The Inspirer.

The Government of Rwandan has announced an increased budget to tackle the issue of stunting in children under five years old, with the 2024/2025 fiscal year budget allocating nearly Rwf 357.8 billion for this purpose.

Stunting, particularly among children under five, remains a major concern for health authorities. In 2020, over 149 million children worldwide suffered from stunting, with more than 40% located in Africa.

According to the 2020 Rwanda Demographic and Health Survey (RDHS), the prevalence of stunting in children decreased to 33% from 38% in 2015. Since then, various programs have been implemented to assist pregnant and breastfeeding mothers in accessing nutritious food, and school feeding programs have been introduced from early childhood to secondary education.

The Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning’s report, which aims to inform citizens about the budget, reveals that funding to combat malnutrition and stunting has increased for the 2024/2025 fiscal year. The report states: “Funding for tackling malnutrition and stunting in children under five has increased by approximately 1.8 billion Rwf, from 355.4 billion Rwf in the 2023/2024 budget to 357.8 billion Rwf.”

Despite this increase, the percentage of the budget allocated to these activities has decreased from 7% last year to 6%, due to a 12% overall increase in the Rwandan budget for 2024/2025 compared to the previous year.

The government has introduced programs to provide daily meals for every child aged six months to two years, which, when properly implemented, have shown positive outcomes in child development. Additional efforts are being made in early childhood development programs to support children’s health through activities such as brain stimulation, reading, nutrition, and hygiene while parents are at work.

Data shows that over 350,000 children are born in Rwanda each year, and a Rwandan woman typically gives birth to between three and four children. In 2011, the Rwandan government initiated the Early Childhood Development (ECD) program to address malnutrition and stunting issues. Nationwide, there are currently 31,482 early childhood development centers, with over 25,000 located in various households.

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