Fortified Wholegrains: A catalyst for change in Rwanda
WFP and The Rockefeller Foundation are changing nutritional attitudes and behaviour by replacing fortified refined maize meal with fortified wholegrains.
“My favourite meals are ugali (a type of porridge made from maize), fruits and dried fish mixed with vegetables,” says Silvia, a student at Kibirizi school in Nyamagabe district in southern Rwanda.
Maize is a staple food for most families in Rwanda and can be eaten as a porridge or served as an accompaniment to meat, vegetables, and beans.
However, much of the maize consumed in Rwanda is refined, unfortified and lacks vitamins. Yet, fortifying wholegrain maize can cost the same as refined versions and needs less processing.
The World Food Programme (WFP) and The Rockefeller Foundation are playing a key role in changing nutritional attitudes and behaviour by replacing fortified refined maize meal with its wholegrain counterpart for school children in Rwanda.
What started as a pilot initiative supporting 14,000 children in 18 schools in 2021 now reaches 30,000 school children in 32 schools in Burera, Gasabo and Kayonza districts.
The Ugali is a favourite among students.
“I really enjoy having lunch with my friends here at school, especially on the days when we eat Ugali,” says Apollinaire — also a student at Kibirizi.
Access to nutritious foods is a key component of the Rwanda Government’s priority to reduce malnutrition rates in the country from 33 per cent to 20 per cent by 2030.
Wholegrains provide more protein, fibre and micronutrients than refined maize meal, while the fortification process adds other important vitamins and minerals such as vitamins A and B and zinc and iron.
The nutritional benefit of the fortified wholegrain maize brings peace of mind to parents like Charlotte, whose son Ishimwe, goes to Giheta primary school.
“The children eat healthy food which helps them stay at school and get a better education,” she says.
There are gains for the economy too. The fortified wholegrains are purchased from local millers who buy the maize from smallholder farmers throughout Rwanda.
“We shop from the nearest markets, at fair prices which helps the people in the neighbourhood to get some income,” says Emmanuel Bizimana, the President of the school feeding committee at Kibirizi school.
The daily lunches are nourishing the children’s dreams as well.
“My dream is to become a doctor and that way I can help cure people’s diseases, carry out surgeries, and it all ends well,” says Silvia.
“My favorite subjects are science, Kinyarwanda, and mathematics and my dream is to become a teacher,” says Apollinaire.
WFP provides daily nutritious school meals through its homegrown school feeding programme to 30,000 children in 32 schools in Rwanda. This is a form of resilience-building for communities — empowering people with the agricultural skills and resources they need to become self-reliant and supplying schools with the ingredients they need to ensure a diverse diet for the children.
