KIGALI, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- Rwanda's Prime Minister Edouard Ngirente Tuesday said the government is committed to ending malnutrition in the country by putting more effort in various initiatives.
Ngirente said this while appearing in the senate to brief lawmakers on the government measures to fight malnutrition. The senate summoned Ngirente after senators' country tour showing that malnutrition is one of the main problems in rural areas.
"We are working hard to end this problem and we will continue to do so. The National Early Childhood Development Program addresses a lot of challenges that we faced in fighting malnutrition, especially coordination," said Ngirente.
The initiatives include distributing free fortified flour to vulnerable children and expectant mothers, engaging community health workers to mobilize parents to treat malnourished children and awareness campaigns on breastfeeding, which form an integral part of the National Early Childhood Development Program, said Ngirente.
Other initiatives he recounted include maintaining focus on cattle stocking program dubbed one-cow-per poor family, educating parents on how to prepare balanced died for their children and hygiene campaign.
Ngirente also urged Rwandans, especially parents on the need for collective efforts to end child malnutrition.
The prevalence rate of stunting stands at 38 percent among children under five in Rwanda, according to the statistics of the ministry of agriculture.
There is a significant burden of malnutrition in 140 countries across the globe, calling for more actions if the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals are to be met, according to the Global Nutrition Report 2017 conducted by Development Initiatives, an international development organization.