Why is Nyabihu always in areas threatened by drought?

Nyabihu District Office

Nyabihu District also has a cattle-based tourist attraction known as “Bigogwe Breast” which is famous for its delicious milk. The district has a Mukamira factory which is famous for processed milk (Mukamira Milk).

The fact that there is a food-related economy does not mean that people live in good health, as six famine-threatened districts have emerged in the region in the past five years.

According to the district’s administration, in health reports released in the past six months, the district’s child stunting rate was 35.1%, while the national target is 19% by 2024.

It is also a violent area where teenagers are sexually abused and impregnated by their families, who then abandon and expel them.

The Umbuto Foundation has set up a centre to connect pregnant parents and children to free them from the loneliness and extreme sadness caused by these issues.

Those who spoke to Kigali Today said the Umhlanga Ibutuo Foundation has saved those who have suffered sexual assault and unwanted pregnancy.

A 20-year-old girl from Bigogwe district was one of the teenagers who was raped and became pregnant at the age of 17. She said her journey was difficult.

He said: “The young man lived near the house and we used to chat. One time I went there to drink milk as usual and he sexually assaulted me. When I found out I was pregnant, I said to him, “The toilet is on the road and no one goes there. Know that what you give me is what you give to others”. I continued to do it because I didn’t dare to tell my parents.”

She said she had that awful life and related it to the school she attended as a sophomore in high school, where her growing belly made it impossible for her to study.

He said that his son suffered from epilepsy because his family did not protect him. Not only did he fail to protect him, but he also lost care of his son, which led to his son’s stroke.

Her friends who got pregnant at the age of 15 said that after she lost her parents, she went to her home in Musanze city to find work and the women working at home started selling her in a bar near the house, where she was raped by a man who made her pregnant.

He said: “The woman I used to work for at home called me to the dance hall, and one time she called me to come into the small room. When I got to the room, I saw a man I didn’t know. He asked me, do you know what they called you? I said I didn’t know anything, and he told me what they called you, and I immediately told you what they called you in that room.”

He added: “When I was sexually assaulted, I did not help you because they had the radio on, then I went to tell the woman who took advantage of me and she told me it was a normal job, you do it it will give you money, the man who raped me paid his master, that’s when I felt dizzy and walked home from Musanze when I came to Bigogwe, after a month of not having my period, my pregnancy started showing, the doctor took me to the hospital, they weighed me, I went home and got pregnant without anyone’s help.

The 18-year-old said she had difficulty finding a place to live and had to sleep outside with her children. Fortunately, the Imbuto Foundation project helped her by placing her in a group of girls who eat at home. They were given a house and regular food.

Government reveals reasons for rise in pregnancies and teenage pregnancies

The Nyabihu District Government is discussing factors that continue to contribute to the increase in teenage pregnancies and child infertility in Nyabihu District.

Dr. Mfashingabo Martin, Director of Bigogwe Health Centre, in response to the issue of teenage pregnancy and infertility, said: “Infertility is often caused by family conflicts, problematic attitudes of parents towards their children and the attitude of the parents. In our area, there are places where food with necessary nutrients is available but not done because of religious beliefs”.

The leader returned to the reason why many local girls were pregnant, some of whom were orphans with no one to take care of them.

Nyabihu District Deputy District Commissioner for Social Welfare Simpenze Pascal also returned to the issue of child infertility and teenage pregnancy.

He said: “It is an existential problem and as a government we are concerned about it because children who are born face serious problems and parents are not well equipped to take care of them and leave school, resulting in those children who are born often have constipation problems among our children, which is a problem from birth and teenage years”.

The deputy mayor said that in the last six months, 35.1 per cent of children in Nyabihu District have been enrolled in school and they continue to take steps to monitor these children in a special way and that the Model Parents Group, in collaboration with various partners, was formed to teach others.

The fact that the land is owned by certain people is one of the reasons for the malnutrition problem, as Simpson continues, “There is food but we have a problem with childhood obesity. We can call them the rich, you will find one has about five hectares, another has twenty hectares, and all are said to have farmland.

He also returned to the issue of attitude and behavior, where some parents did not join the fight against obesity and malnutrition, where they had no shortage of food but did not know what exactly their children needed to grow up healthily, and where family conflict issues were exacerbated. To address these issues, they developed a group program called “Bandebereho” to resolve family conflicts.