Local Barriers to and Perceptions of PIH Malnutrition Programs in Rwinkwavu, Rwanda

Citation:

Guenther, Cara. 2013. “Local Barriers to and Perceptions of PIH Malnutrition Programs in Rwinkwavu, Rwanda.” WCFIA Undergraduate Thesis Conference. Cambridge, MA: Weatherhead Center for International Affairs. Copy at http://www.tinyurl.com/yqo2npm7

Date Presented:

February 8, 2013

Abstract:

The focus of my research is on nutrition programs for children under age five (U-5) living in the Rwinkwavu Hospital catchment area in the Kayonza district of Rwanda’s Eastern Province. Communities in southern Kayonza receive a full package of enhanced primary health care services through a Ministry of Health of Rwanda (MOH) and Partners in Health (PIH) collaboration. The purpose of this study is to qualitatively evaluate the progress of nutrition programs implemented as a component of enhanced primary care services, as well as those implemented as part of the national nutrition policy. The research focuses on four main areas: (1) quality of services; (2) community perceptions of nutrition programs; (3) community perceptions of U-5 malnutrition generally; and (4) barriers to accessing services for families with U-5 children. Results from this study will be used to inform program development and implementation at sites in Rwanda’s Eastern Province supported through the MOH/PIH partnership. Unfortunately, transcribing and translating the data required more time than expected and I therefore made the decision not to write a thesis. I received the translated data in January and have since been reading through and in vivo coding the transcripts. Today, I will present some of the major themes from the data.

See also: 2013