Childhood malnutrition has many adverse consequences for survival and long-term well-being. It also has far-reaching consequences for human capital, economic productivity, and overall national development. These consequences are of significant concern for policymakers in Rwanda, where 38 per cent of children under the age of five suffer from chronic malnutrition (stunting or low height-for-age) and 37 per cent suffer from anaemia, according to recent data1.
Addressing challenges with UHT technology
Feeding children has been an integral part of the government’s strategy to address malnutrition and hunger, support Rwanda’s human capital creation, and expand access to educational opportunities for disadvantaged children, particularly those from poor families. To operationalise the Government’s School Feeding Programme, a National Comprehensive School Feeding Policy was approved in 2019.
As part of the initiative and to address the issues of food safety and access to safe nutrition for children, Tetra Pak East Africa customer Inyange Industries signed a collaboration agreement with Rwanda’s National Child Development Agency. Tetra Pak Food for Development plans to provide technical assistance. The goal is to provide two million litres of UHT (Ultra-High Temperature) milk to schools, early childhood development centres and health centres in the country. The milk is produced locally and distributed in Tetra Fino® Aseptic.
Aseptic processing and packaging involve filling sterilised packages with (UHT) treated liquids. These processes are critical to the viability of many school milk and childhood feeding programmes around the world. In countries with no reliable cold chain and where institutions do not have refrigerators or dependable access to electricity, UHT technology enables milk to be stored for six months without refrigeration while retaining its main nutrients such as protein, calcium and Vitamin D. This helps ensure that even children in the most remote areas have access to safe, nutritious milk.
Improved health, learning and local economy
By receiving regular nutrition, the health status of the children should improve while creating a positive incentive to attend school and early childhood centres, thereby reducing illiteracy rates. Milk that has been locally produced and processed contributes to the healthy growth of children, benefitting their learning capacities while creating a market for a local product. Development from interventions in the dairy value chain can also create jobs and sustainable livelihoods to address poverty in smallholder dairy farmer households.
“The challenge of providing all of Rwanda’s children with safe, adequate nutrition is no small task. To be effective, it requires cooperation between the public and the private sectors. Each organisation participating in this collaborative initiative has something valuable to contribute.”
–Jonathan Kinisu, Managing Director -Tetra Pak East Africa
LOOKING AHEAD
Expanding and developing safe nutrition
This initiative aims to serve UHT milk to 100,000 children across Rwanda. In phase two of the initiative, to broaden the variety of food products for the children, we look to innovate and develop affordable, nutritious formulations. We are committed to working in collaboration towards our shared purpose of increasing Rwanda’s children’s access to safe nutrition.
1 Demographic and Health Survey by the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda, the Ministry of Health, and ICF International (2015)