Transforming school meals and farmers’ lives in Burundi through milk
The World Food Programme (WFP) and Kerry Group are working together through the Amata project to advance food security and nutrition by strengthening the milk value chain and improving milk consumption in the Gitega province, Burundi.
By Colombe Ishimwe
Fides Senkwamije, a mother of three living in Gitega, central Burundi, used to worry about her children’s nutrition. “Many children only access milk when they are at school,” she says. “Most families don’t own cows or have the means to afford it.” Now, her children are among the thousands receiving fresh milk with their daily school meals.
In Burundi, over half of children under five suffer from chronic malnutrition, with micronutrient deficiencies especially severe in rural areas. While milk has a high nutritional value, it is expensive and hard to access in Burundi, making its dairy intake the lowest in East Africa: Burundians consume milk less than once a month on average.
Through Project Amata, Burundi’s home-grown school feeding programme is enhanced by providing school children in Gitega province with safe, nutritious milk directly sourced from local dairy farmers, who gain a reliable market for their produce. Project Amata is funded through WFP’s partnership with Kerry Group.
“I was delighted to know that my children will start receiving milk, on top of school meals,” recalls Fides. “The nutritious meals support their growth and ability to learn and concentrate on studies.”
At Mwurire School, where Fides’ children study, “the milk improves the children’s health and encourages regular attendance,” says Suzanne Nzeyimana, the school director. “Now they arrive earlier, and when they don’t miss class, their chances of success increase.”
In a country where school dropout rates remain high each year, the school feeding programme continues to be a vital incentive for families to keep their children in class. Thanks to Project Amata, over 3,500 school children are now able to stay enrolled and strengthen their immune systems with a weekly supply of fresh milk.
Empowering Farmers to Improve Milk Quality and Market Access
Beyond school milk delivery, Project Amata strengthens smallholder farmers’ capacities, placing them at the heart of Burundi’s evolving dairy sector.
“Thanks to the training on animal breeding and good milking practices, our milk has improved, and we are assured that our cows will never go hungry,” says Celestin Nduwimana, a supported farmer.
While farmers like Celestin are beginning to thrive, challenges persist. With more than 70% of Burundians living below the poverty line, smallholder farmers face limited access to quality inputs, poor infrastructure, and weak market connections, barriers that constrain growth in the dairy sector.
Through Project Amata, which has reached its conclusion this year, over 850 farmers in Gitega Province were trained in improved animal husbandry and milk hygiene, building competitive and integrated family farms, and serving as models for others in the community.
“With strengthened capacity, farmers now bring clean and safe milk to the collection centre, which is an added value for the cooperative, as livestock farming is our foundation,” rejoices Celestin, a member of the Bugendana milk collection centre in Gitega. “When dairy farming is strengthened, the cooperative grows too,” he adds.
From Farm to Market: A Journey of Milk Quality Improvement
To reduce milk spoilage and prevent losses for smallholder dairy farmers, WFP equipped the Bugendana Milk Collection Centre with a pasteurizer and a generator. The new infrastructure enables faster, more hygienic milk processing, preserving quality and extending shelf life. WFP also partnered with the Provincial Education Directorate to integrate the centre into the decentralized procurement system, creating local demand for milk through school feeding programmes. This market linkage not only reduces post-collection losses, but gives farmers access to more reliable income and improves their livelihoods.
“Before, we boiled milk in big cooking pots on open fires. It took time, used so much wood, and still, the milk could spoil,” says Celestin. “Now, with training and technology, we treat larger volumes of milk more quickly. We are happy schoolchildren receive safe milk, and us farmers have better incomes,” he adds.
For Thierry Manirambona, in charge of milk processing at the centre, the pasteurizer is transformative. “As schoolchildren drink our milk, this pasteurizer helps get very clean and safe milk. We boil it up to 75 or 80 degrees, which was not possible with the traditional method,” he explains.
With these interventions, the Bugendana Milk Collection Centre sold over 15,800 litres of milk to local communities and more than 4,500 litres to schools in May. The average monthly income of dairy farmers supported by the project rose to over 243,000 BIF (roughly USD 80), up from 145,000 BIF (roughly USD 48) the previous year.
At the centre, Celestin looks proudly at the cows, enclosed in their pen and eating grass. “Before the intervention, I used to sell all the milk received from my cows without leaving even a glass to my children,” he recalls. “Now, my cow gives five litres a day. I sell four to buy food, and spare one to give to my children. They love it.”
