Stunting affects 33% of Rwandan children under five despite multiple government interventions. Community engagement critically influences intervention sustainability, yet varying levels of awareness, perception, and ownership persist across districts. This study assessed community awareness, perceptions, and ownership of eight major stunting reduction programs in Rwanda, and identified challenges affecting their success. A qualitative assessment design was employed across ten randomly selected districts where stunting reduction programs had been implemented for 5–15 years. Data were collected through 100 Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with approximately 600 participants, including household heads with children under five, Community Health Workers, and local leaders, and 105 Key Informant Interviews with district officials and program implementers. Data were analyzed thematically, and saturation was reached after analyzing data from eight districts, with two additional districts confirming no new themes emerged. Community awareness of program objectives was consistently high across all interventions. Participants reported tangible benefits including improved child health, increased immunity, better school attendance, enhanced household income, and greater food security. However, community ownership remained predominantly low, with interventions perceived as government-driven rather than community-led. Key findings are summarized across four themes: high awareness but limited strategic understanding, perceived effectiveness with tangible benefits, weak community ownership and dependency, and systemic challenges including resource constraints, governance issues, and cultural barriers. While stunting reduction programs demonstrated high awareness and perceived benefits, weak community ownership and systemic challenges threaten sustainability. Strengthening participatory approaches in program design, improving governance transparency, addressing resource constraints, and building local capacity are essential for achieving Rwanda’s stunting reduction targets. Clinical trial number: not applicable.
Mporanyi et al. (Thu,) studied this question.