Integrating Innovations in Healthcare and Agriculture in Rwanda to Reduce Malnutrition—Ashoka Fellow, Julie Carney, Featured in Global Entrepreneurship Week Site Visit As part of Global Entrepreneurship Week in Rwanda, Ashoka East Africa kicked off its Social Entrepreneurship Safari on Tuesday with a site visit to Gardens for Health, a Rwandan civil society organization. Founded by Julie Carney, Gardens for Health tackles the problem of malnutrition in Rwanda by leveraging synergies between two sectors that have traditionally operated independently of each other—agriculture and healthcare. By enabling healthcare centers to provide agricultural extension services and psychosocial support to mothers affected by malnutrition, in addition to medical services, they are empowering Rwandan women to serve as part of the solution to malnutrition, which afflicts more than 45 percent of children under five in the country. On the site visit, Ashoka was joined by some of Rwanda’s public and private sector leaders from the Rwanda Development Board, Private Sector Federation, Rwanda Green Foundation, Agri-hub Rwanda and ESPartners as well as by some young, entrepreneurial students from the Akilah Institute. Upon arrival, Julie and her team of farmers, organization staff and cooks greeted the group and walked them through their lush, sustainable garden to a covered area with tables and benches, where they would share stories about their work in Rwanda before engaging participants in a tree-planting activity and cooking competition. “When mothers—who traditionally have the responsibility of deciding what food their families eat—are empowered to make better dietary choices, malnutrition can be sustainably rooted out of Rwanda,” said Julie Carney, founder of Gardens for Health International (GHI). Village healthcare centers are at the core of Julie’s strategy, as they are the first place that rural communities go to for healthcare services. GHI recruits, trains and pays two new staff members at each healthcare center for the first three years of its partnership as well as provides ongoing mentorship and support to other staff members. When a malnutrition case is received at the health center, the child is not only treated, but the affected mother is also immediately enrolled in a 14-week nutrition education program and then given inputs and ongoing support to setup and manage the best kitchen garden for her family, based on land size, family size, income level and special dietary needs. In addition to becoming active decision-makers in control of their families’ diet-related health outcomes, these mothers are also serving as watch dogs for malnutrition in their communities by quickly identifying signs of malnutrition in their neighbors’ children, offering advice and referring them to the health center. “Julie is a shining example of how systems-changing social entrepreneurs can contribute to the development of Rwanda, and we believe that identifying and investing in more social entrepreneurs like her is the most effective way to promote social change across the country,” said Nassir Katuramu, Venture Program Manager at Ashoka in East Africa. In addition to learning more about GHI from Julie and her staff, a mother who had participated in the training shared her experience and how she and her children were already benefiting from their new kitchen garden. “I used to think that beans and sweet potatoes were enough for my children, but when I went to the health center, I learned that two of my four children were severely malnourished. As treatment, they not only provided packets of Plumpy’Nut in the short-term, but they also showed me how to prepare a balanced meal with carrots, beans and other vegetables indigenous to Rwanda. I have learned a lot from GHI, and now other mothers in the community even learn a lot from me.” After hearing about GHI’s work from some of its staff and beneficiaries, it was time for participants to experience it for themselves. First, in honor of National Tree Planting Week, everyone planted a new fruit tree seedling in the garden, with the help of GHI staff. Then, participants learned about the final piece of GHI’s training—the cooking process, which was developed to significantly reduce the time spent by women in the kitchen while also improving the nutritional content of their families’ meals. By layering foods based on the time required to cook them, women are able to cook a full, nutrient-replete meal in one pot in just one hour instead of cooking four separate dishes over four hours. After receiving an abbreviated training, it was time for participants to try their hand at cooking using this method and only foods available from the garden. The group was divided into four teams, which competed to create the best, nutrient-replete meal in just one hour. Winners were selected for the most nutritious, creative and flavorful meals, and everyone enjoyed sharing the food they created with others. GHI’s work will certainly continue to contribute to the sustainable development of Rwanda, as the country continues on its path towards Vision 2020. Julie’s innovative idea also highlights the important role social entrepreneurs have to play in Rwanda’s growth as well as in realizing Ashoka’s vision of making Everyone a Changemaker™ in Rwanda.
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