Launched in October 2023 and running through March 2027, Isoko Irama – Sustainable and Market-Oriented Strengthening of Agricultural Entrepreneurship in Burundi is already showing encouraging results.
The project is part of the SESA – Support to Entrepreneurship in the Agricultural Sector program, funded by the European Union and implemented by AVSI Foundation (lead partner) together with International Rescue Committee, Deutsche Sparkassenstiftung für internationale Kooperation, and Burundi Business Incubator.
Activities focus on the former provinces of Kayanza and Ngozi—now part of Butanyerera Province—as well as the Municipality of Bujumbura.
Mama Lumière, on the front line against malnutrition
To contribute to reducing malnutrition in communities, AVSI—responsible for the nutrition component—has launched a comprehensive set of interventions, including:
- awareness-raising sessions for local authorities and community members
- training for Maman Lumière and other community partners
- two screening cycles for children aged 6 months to 5 years
- treatment of moderate acute malnutrition cases in community-based learning and nutritional rehabilitation centres (FARN)
- community awareness activities on food collection for the FARN centres, with the support of local authorities
- referral of 445 complicated severe acute malnutrition cases to the hospitals of Ngozi, including the provision of meals and dignity kits for the women accompanying the children, helping to reduce transportation costs
These interventions have led to a reduction in the rate of acute malnutrition, which decreased from 9% to 5% between the first screening (March 2024) and the second (December 2024), involving 92,242 and 106,032 children respectively.
Among the 3,063 children treated in the FARN centres, 2,938 returned to a normal nutritional status, corresponding to a rehabilitation rate of 96%. On average, each child gained 349 grams.
A decisive role is played by the 532 Maman Lumière, literally “light mothers”. These women bring change to their communities every day through care, listening, and awareness of proper nutrition. They are trained volunteer mothers who support and guide other women in managing their children’s nutrition and health, and they supervise the FARN centres. Another key group is the 532 Community Health Workers, who serve as a bridge between health services and the population.
“The situation of my family was very difficult, and my son was suffering from malnutrition. Through the training, I learned how to make the best use of the few resources we have. Now I know how to prepare balanced meals, and my children’s health has improved.”
Concilie Ndayiyage, from Maruri, Kayanza.
What are FARNs?
FARNs (Foyers d’Apprentissage et de Réhabilitation Nutritionnelle) are community-based learning and nutritional rehabilitation centres. They are not medical facilities, but spaces organized within communities, led by trained Maman Lumière who teach families how to:
- prepare balanced meals using locally available and affordable foods
- improve the nutrition of children and pregnant and breastfeeding women
- prevent malnutrition through simple daily practices
- monitor children’s growth
How do they work?
The FARN model is based on several key principles:
- Short duration (about 12 days). Each cycle involves children with moderate acute malnutrition.
- Practical learning. Mothers cook together using locally available ingredients and learn nutritious recipes and food hygiene practices.
- Nutritional rehabilitation. Children participate in daily sessions and, thanks to an improved diet, regain weight and a healthy nutritional status.
- Community-based approach. Families contribute by bringing small quantities of local food. This is a key strategy that makes the model sustainable and replicable.
- Support and follow-up. Maman Lumière and Community Health Workers continue to monitor the children even after the end of the cycle.
Why they work
- they are low-cost, sustainable, and adaptable
- they make use of local food resources
- they strengthen families’ skills and knowledge
- they promote autonomy and prevention, not only treatment
- they reduce dependence on external aid
For these reasons, they are now considered one of the most effective community-based models for addressing moderate malnutrition.
Sustainable agriculture, income, and access to credit
Alongside nutrition interventions, the Isoko Irama project supports agricultural entrepreneurship and local production through an integrated package of technical and financial support:
- 50 savings and credit groups (VICOBA), mostly composed of women, received conditional grants that enabled them to start selling quality biofertilizers, with the aim of increasing banana production and generating income.
- 32 small and medium enterprises have been supported in the production of bananas, mushrooms, and honey.
- 16 demonstrations of good agricultural practices in banana cultivation have been carried out, including organic fertilization and sucker propagation through macro-propagation techniques.
- Erosion control activities have already covered 1,640 hectares, with the “cash for work” approach implemented on 240 hectares to support vulnerable people.
- In the mushroom sector, enterprises have introduced second-generation seeds from in vitro cultures, which are more productive.
- In the honey sector, one entrepreneur has already produced 725 Kenya Top Bar hives to strengthen beekeeping cooperatives in Butanyerera Province.
The project also provides continuous technical and financial support to enterprises: operational planning, links with microfinance institutions, financial education training, development of sustainable business plans, and coaching on fund management. In collaboration with MFIs, dedicated financial products for SMEs have been developed and are now operational, together with a collective system for managing grants.
A change already underway
Thanks to the activities launched, beneficiaries—particularly women—are adopting the practices promoted by the project, with visible impact on both nutrition and agricultural production, as well as on income opportunities.
The quality of local accompaniment continues to prove as essential as the grants and tools provided through Isoko Irama.
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