For those who don’t know me, I’m Thomas Simbankabo, and I started the @0km Milk zone Project. I want to have a significant and lasting influence on my neighbourhood in order to promote its growth. I hope that some of the SDGs may be implemented in my area as well. and the only way to do this is to increase cooperation across different fields of expertise.
The goal of the “@okm milk zone” initiative is to improve the health of rural people by removing barriers to their access to milk within a radius of less than one kilometre. While first conceived for Rwanda, the project’s success there might pave the way for its expansion to other nations in Africa and beyond. One’s nutrition, particularly milk for children, is very important when discussing health promotion. Even though there is a lot of emphasis on eating healthy and drinking milk in Rwanda, this is still not enough.
About ninety-nine per cent of current milk industry financiers focuses on city dwellers. Statistics reveal that over 80% of Rwandans still live in rural areas. This problem, of having a disproportionately large population living in rural regions, is not unique to Rwanda or even to underdeveloped nations. A lot of individuals can’t get their hands on milk for various reasons, such as a lack of reliable markets, reliable energy, and reliable sources of clean water.
The goal of the initiative is to advocate for the health of rural communities and improve their living conditions by increasing their access to fresh milk at reasonable costs. To aid farmers in transitioning to a new farming model and expanding milk production, the initiative seeks to recruit young people with experience and expertise in agricultural management methods and farming business ideas. Equal representation of women and men will be a priority in all processes. The service will be located as close as feasible to the local population, and the project will take environmental protection into account by limiting the usage of plastics in packaging. The initiative has a ten-year lifespan, during which time it will conduct frequent surveys of the rural community to gauge its success.
Step ahead Rwanda Ltd., a Rwanda Development Board-registered firm, is currently handling the project. A successful initiative would lead to fewer incidences of childhood malnutrition and stunting, improved health for more rural residents, and a more optimistic outlook on health and its contribution to economic growth in rural areas.
To make meaningful changes in the rural community and contribute to their health-promoting agenda, as well as to have more rural advantages, I am encouraging additional partners to support the project to address the stated changes and to proceed with than profitability attitude. If you want to get in touch with me, please send me a mail: simbatom1989@gmail.com
