Greetings!
We are happy to report that 2011 has been jam packed with great news and hard work by our Ihangane team. This newsletter will provide a glimpse of the exciting developments. Because of the amazing Rwandans serving their communities every day, as well as incredible interns from both Rwanda and the US, these programs are growing beyond expectations.
To keep up to date on our activities, please visit The Ihangane Project website! Our Project Updates section is designed to provide more frequent updates of projects. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for your incredible support. From collaborators, advisors, volunteers, and financial and emotional supporters, you have all contributed in some way to the successes of 2011. Murakoze Cyane!
Amahoro (Peace) & Umwaka Mushya Muhire (Happy New Year)! ~The Ihangane Project Team |
Preventing Malnutrition:
~Clinical Program~
At the end of 2010, the Nutrition for HIV-Exposed Infants Program was expanded to serve all HIV-Exposed infants at Ruli Health Center. The program now serves an average of 42 families each month. Through this program, the Ruli Health Center has seen a 7 fold decrease in malnutrition when compared to the overall community! In September of this year, we expanded the fortified sosoma portion of the program to serve post-partum women, as well as 5 HIV-exposed infants at Nyange Health Center. As we speak, Michella Otmar is working with the HIV Clinical team to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and challenges of the program to date. Hannah Graff is working on a Policies & Procedures Manual that will be based upon the input of the Ruli HIV team and Ruli District Hospital Medical Director. This will serve as a standardized guide for health care workers as they expand services to the additional 5 health centers in Ruli District Hospital's catchment area.
With wide spread input from Rwandan health care workers, TIP and Ruli District Hospital have published it's first Clinical Pocket Guide. Entitled Pregnant Women & Children HIV Prevention & Treatment,this guide provides essential clinical information from womb to childhood regarding routine prenatal care, HIV prevention/treatment, malnutrition diagnosis/treatment, and tuberculosis management at the fingertips of health care workers. We hope that this guide will provide easy access to clinical guidelines for health care workers at the front lines of patient care, and ultimately improve health care for women and their children.
~Understanding The Community-Based Nutrition Program~
Thanks to the incredible work of Sean Morris, William Davidson Institute fellow, and Huriro Uwacu Theo, TIP intern from National University of Rwanda biostatistics program, we now have a clearer understanding of the existing CBNP. They identified areas of need and potential intervention through a system of comprehensive community-based surveys that provided a voice to both families and Community Nutrition Workers. This is a major step forward in our ability to support community-wide efforts to curb malnutrition for the over 35,000 children under 5 who live in the Ruli Hospital catchment area. Sean describes some of his experiences here.
Check out the presentation that Sean and Theo provided to the Ruli District Hospital staff members at the end of his fellowship. TIP will be sure to follow up on these recommendations! We hope to have Sean return to Ruli after completing his Master's in Public Health to continue his great work.
~Teaching Gardens, Farming Cooperatives & Sosoma~
To improve food security for all community members in the catchment area of Ruli District Hospital, we hope to strengthen the health centers' ability to provide nutrition education. One means of doing this is through the development of vibrant teaching gardens. Sean established a teaching garden in Nyange, and describes how this led to the development of a People Living With HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) Farming Cooperative. Sustainable agriculture specialist, James Radawich, is currently in Rwanda to work with this group to further strengthen their organic farming techniques.
Sean gives teaching session before heading out to the field
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 HIV Prevention through Financial Autonomy 2011 has been an exciting year for Ihangane and Covaru Women's Associations. They have both submitted all of the required paperwork to become official cooperatives in Rwanda! Sales revenue is up 140% from 2010, orders are on backlog, and the quality and innovation of their products continues to improve.
This summer, the women had the great pleasure of working with UC Berkeley School of Global Policy intern, Stephanie Blount ,to expand their business skills and their knowledge of local and regional markets. Read more about their incredible work together.... Our goal is to bring Stephanie back to Ruli after graduation to continue her great work.
We are also excited to share that the groups' products have officially entered the Indian marketplace via Eyaas.com !
Products also continue to be available through our favorite Peace & Social Justice team at Reach & Teach.
Research has shown that the rise out of poverty is most successful when income generation is diversified. For this reason, the women have decided to add pig farming to their repertoire! These rwandan artisans are excited to partner with Jim Davis of the Kern River Art Association and Kern River Rotary Club to make this a reality. More soon....
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 Bringing Light to Rural Health Facilities We are excited to announce that all 5 sites have received electricity! Nyange, Rukura, Minazi, Musagara, and Huro are all officially electrified. Our partners at Solar Electric Light Fund have provided a great summary of our work together. This project would not have been a success without our partners at Catapult Design, UCLA Clinical AIDS Research & Education Center, and the hard work of Jacqueline Umubyeyi, the Ruli District Hospital Maintenance Director. |
 Expanding Partnerships: |
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Happy Holidays to you all!
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http://www.theihanganeproject.com
info@theihanganeproject.com
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William Davidson Institute Global Fellowship Blog
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Summer Intern, Sean Morris, shares his experiences in Ruli, Rwanda through his WDI blog
Realities of Malnutrition & Hope for The Farm
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Year End Donations
| As 2011 nears an end, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to The Ihangane Project. You can designate a program you would like to support, and we will ensure that your wishes are respected. Thank you for your support!
Murakoze Cyane!
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