Sydney Anglicans are supporting an innovative nutrition project in northern Rwanda, one of the areas hardest hit by the Rwandan genocide 20 years ago.

Centred in the Anglican diocese of Shyira, which borders Uganda to the north and the Democratic Republic of Congo to the west, the “One Egg a Day” campaign was the brainchild of the local bishop, Dr Laurent Mbanda.
It began with the plight of thousands of children between the age of two and five, left unsupervised in local villages while their parents worked in the fields for a pittance. After opening church buildings during the week to accommodate preschools for the unattended children, the problem of malnutrition remained. Because their diet consisted only of starch, many suffered from a protein deficiency.

A North American social entrepreneur has since set up a poultry farm where eggs are being produced on a commercial scale to resource the One Egg A Day Project. Currently there are 1500 eggs being produced daily and distributed in 17 of the 200 diocese’s preschools.

“As well as providing essential protein in the child’s diet, the project generates employment at the poultry farm where the eggs are produced,” says Anglican Aid director the Rev David Mansfield. “It’s more simple than brilliant but it’s brilliant because it’s so simple.”

The Archbishop of Sydney’s Anglican Aid is highlighting the project to mark the 20th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide.

Photo: a young Rwandan boy chooses his egg for the day