Gikuriro Program
Gikuriro program is a five-year Integrated Nutrition and WASH activity funded by USAID which is being implemented in Kayonza District by Faith Victory Association (FVA) since 2016. The program covers all the 12 sectors in Kayonza, in 50 cells and 421 villages. Gikuriro is a Kinyarwanda word that refers to good growth relative to height for age. The program is implemented through a consortium of two international agencies, Catholic Relief Services (CRS) who are the prime and the sub-recipient and SNV the Netherlands Development Organization. The program aims at improving the nutritional status of women of reproductive age and children under five years of age with emphasis on 1000 days window opportunity from pregnancy until a child’s second birthday. The program targets households with under 5 malnourished children, households with children under 5 from ubudehe 1, households with pregnant and lactating women in ubudehe 1 and single headed households from ubudehe 2 category with children under 5.
Mothers empowered with Life skills that will support their activities in Village nutrition school
Through the program, we have implemented the following components ;
• WASH : FVA has implemented WASH–CBEHPP (community based Environmental health promotion program) approach through CHC (community Health Clubs) and has conducted sensitization campaigns to improve water, sanitation and hygiene practices and hygiene behavioural change and built the capacity of community health clubs at village level.
Water infrastructures is very key for the Households s to Improve their hygiene status .
• Food security and Nutrition : FVA has boosted food security and nutrition through the promotion of food production, access to food and food utilization/consumption. FVA also uses bio-intensive agriculture techniques in Farmer Field School (FFS), and promotes nutrition using Positive Deviance / Health groups for Nutrition for under five year old children through Village Nutrition Schools (VNS). FVA has conducted growth monitoring and counseling, nutrition education, nutrition rehabilitation and monthly cooking demonstrations.
The Kitchen garden established to improve households food security status
• Economic strengthening : The program has built the capacity of the target beneficiaries by providing training on financial literacy through the Saving and Internal Lending Communities (SILC) model, financial linkages, entrepreneurship, cooperatives promotion and enterprise development.
Internal saving and lending communities is very key for Households to increase their income to improve their Nutrition status.
• Crosscutting themes : Behavior change communication (BCC) and Male engagement in Gikuriro activities.
Awards to the best performers and intensive field visits monitoring used as one way to raise awareness to change Nutrition and WASH Behaviors .