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The Food Issue
2017
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viciously killed an estimated 500,000 to 1.3 million Tutsi and
moderate Hutus between April and July of that year.
The country continues to heal from the genocide, and
extensive reconciliation and peacemaking is part of everyday
life. Even in farmer training programs, funded in part by the
CFGB, peacemaking is taught.
The farmer training programs were one element of the CFGB’s
impact in Rwanda witnessed by the 12 visiting Canadians, who
included journalists, CFGB staff and Canadian farmers.
As the Canadian visitors grappled with the country’s
horror-filled past, Rwandans met with the group and patiently
answered all the questions that arose. As the days passed and
the Canadian group found its footing, what became clear was
the spirit of reconciliation that characterizes the country today.
Through numerous, deliberate peacemaking steps taken every
day, Rwandans demonstrate their decision to forgive. They
choose to look ahead and build a unified future rather than
dwell on the horrors of 1994.
The CFGB assistance efforts the Canadians witnessed
provided simple solutions to common problems and are highly
effective at helping farmers in need.
In the Kirehe district of Rwanda’s Eastern Province, 1,329
homes participate in a CFGB project partnership with the
Canadian Baptist Ministries. The Canadian visitors met several
farmers in the village, including Athanase Nsengiyumva, who,
like many Rwandan farmers, grows vegetables in his backyard—
including cabbage, carrots, green peppers, celery and red
onions—and sells them at the market. Like the other farmers,
Nsengiyumva sometimes struggles to have enough water for
his garden, but he’s one of 181 residents who received funding
to install a rain basin that collects water throughout the year.
He proudly showed the group his store of water, which he said
allows him to get almost all the way through the dry season and
keep his garden growing.
“There is a dream that the vegetables could be available
throughout the year if there is water,” he said.
Most striking about the rain basin was the cost—about
106,000 Rwandan francs, the equivalent of roughly CAD$170. It
represents such a simple solution to a serious problem andmade
a huge difference for Nsengiyumva, but at that price, it is out of
reach for most Rwandan farmers without financial assistance.
While in Eastern Rwanda, the group also saw a
straightforward watering system that the CFGB helped fund
in partnership with the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC).
The Canadians saw how 20-litre, unglazed pots were buried in
gardens then filled with water. As the soil requires moisture, it
draws it from the pot. The pots are refilled a couple of times a
week—a major savings of labour when the closest water source
is a lake located a mile away, where water needs to be drawn
and carried back to one’s home and garden by hand.
Hygiene is another issue tackled through the CFGB
partnerships in simple and straightforward ways. Through the
partnerships between the CFGB and the MCC, Rwandans
are taught the utility of having a proper latrine located away
from the house and any food sources, and the importance of
washing their hands after using the latrine.
The addition of nutrients to certain foods to make up for any
deficiencies in one’s regular diet is commonplace in Canada,
but in Rwanda this was new information. The Moringa tree—a
fast-growing, drought-resistant species—has leaves that are
basically a superfood, containing large quantities of several vital
nutrients. Residents in this Eastern Rwanda village now grind the
leaves and sprinkle them over food for a nutritional boost.
In the fields, the partnerships the CFGB has with other aid
organizations have taught Rwandan farmers how to preserve
soil moisture, deal with soil erosion and plant nutrient-dense
foods in their backyard gardens.
Rwanda, which refers to itself as the land of a thousand hills
and a million smiles, left a lasting impression on Jeninga. He
recalled the Rwandan farmers’ warm greetings, unbridled
openness and willingness to answer questions from a group of
Canadians as memories that he’ll keep from the visit.
“The beautiful landscape will stick with me,” Jeninga said.
“But even more so is how accepting these farmers and these
families were of us coming here. They were inviting and proud
of their plots, and welcomed us into their homes. That’s what
will stick with me.”
Amother in the Eastern Rwanda district of Kayonza feeds her child a mixture of
nutrient-dense foods, topped off with a dark green sprinkle of groundMoringa tree
leaves, a fast-growing, drought-resistant plant that adds additional nutrients to the
meal. Funds to run nutrition programs like this come in part from the Canadian
Foodgrains Bank.