Kayonza : Gikuriro Program trained 472 model parents on food processing

Nov 22 , 2017
IMG

Gikuriro Program has concluded the training of model parents also known as “Parents Lumieres” on food processing. The training was started on August 8th 2019 and ended on August 15th 2019 and every site was trained within two days.

The training equipped trainees with knowledge of transforming available agricultural products and produce a variety of processed products, food hygiene and food conservation skills.

The objective of the training was to strengthen the capacity of Parents Lumieres in food processing and enable beneficiaries to produce many varieties of processed foods for household consumption and even to sell products at local market.

The agricultural products utilized as raw materials include potatoes, soybeans, pineapples, beat-roots and other industrial ingredients. Some of the processed products include soy milk, soy meat and making African doughnuts (Mandazi) from sweet potatoes.

Training participants enjoyed the new knowledge and promised to apply it by adding values to their agriculture production for home use and in generation of some income.

“We have been equipped with necessary knowledge to produce varieties of food products which are necessary for our homes. One was harvesting soybeans to only store and potatoes for direct consumption but this training enriched our skills to transform soybeans into meat, milk and potatoes in cookies.” Ntakirutimana Agnes from Mutembo village of Rwinkwavu sector acknowledges. She was also quick to add that as she learnt to produce cookies, she can run a business at her village.

Other participants equated this consider this training nutrition benefits. “The good nutrition requires adding animal products to our diet but animal products are too expensive. But with our agricultural production, we can produce milk and meat and be sure that our children consumed a balanced diet.”

Training participants were also requested and accepted to extend this knowledge to other group members of their respective villages through Village Nutrition School (VNS) sessions.

The training was organized by the five years USAID funded Integrated Nutrition and WASH Activity (INWA)-Gikuriro Program which is being implemented in Kayonza district by Faith Victory Association (FVA) in partnership with CRS and SNV.

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