NUTRITION AND GOOD HEALTH

The nutrition and good health program is a project based in the southern Huye district of Rwanda serving their poorest families. The project’s initiative is centered around combating malnutrition and educating kids about both livestock and produce farming as ways to support their educational fees. For example, Love the Kids Rwanda is currently running a program where the families of the 28 kids are given goats and receive aid in building a goat housing facility. This donation allows these families to produce milk for their own food, as well as goat manure to fertilize their crops. Another project is spearheading is in educating the kids we support with information and resources to create and maintain vegetable gardens with the land that we already own. Currently, younger generations of Rwandans often do not perceive agricultural farming as a lucrative career path because they commonly associate it as the jobs of the older generation. However, Love the Kids Rwanda is trying to change that narrative. Through the expertise of a trained agronomist, 45 students in upper primary school from the poorest families have the opportunity to learn about the importance and implementation of agricultural farming, as well as how local farming is connected with promoting health and wellbeing. Finally, Love the Kids Rwanda also runs a school meal feeding program to combat high levels of school dropout rates. Because kids who cannot afford food have to choose between paying school fees for uniforms and supplies versus feeding themselves, they often choose the latter. By providing meals at the school, these kids have the flexibility to focus on their education. In fact, through the agricultural education program, some of these kids are able to grow their own food to feed themselves and their families, as well as sell the extra food as payment for their school fees. Overall, these programs combat both malnutrition and educational accessibility through agricultural training.