Effect of Technical Assistance on the Performance of Nutritional Projects in Rwanda: A Case Study of Burera District

This study examined the effect of technical assistance on the performance of nutritional projects in Rwanda, using Burera District as a case study. The research was motivated by persistent disparities in nutrition outcomes in rural areas despite the implementation of various nutrition programs such as the USAID Gikuriro Kuri Bose Project. The study was guided by the Resource-Based View theory and the Theory of Change, emphasizing technical assistance as a key resource that enhances implementation capacity and project outcomes. A descriptive and correlational research design was adopted using a mixed-methods approach. A sample of 380 respondents was selected from a target population of 34,200 stakeholders using the Krejcie and Morgan sampling technique. Data were collected using structured questionnaires and analyzed using SPSS version 28. Descriptive statistics (means, standard deviations, frequencies, and percentages) were used, while simple regression analysis was applied to examine the relationship between technical assistance and project performance. The findings revealed that nutritional projects in Burera District performed well, with a composite mean of 4.05 indicating strong agreement that projects achieved their objectives, were completed on time, and generated positive community nutrition outcomes. Similarly, technical assistance was highly rated (composite mean = 4.06), with respondents confirming that it improved operational efficiency, strengthened staff capacity, and enhanced nutritional outcomes. Regression analysis showed a strong and statistically significant positive relationship between technical assistance and project performance (R = 0.869, R² = 0.756, p < 0.001), indicating that technical assistance explains 75.6% of the variation in project performance. The study concludes that technical assistance is a critical determinant of the success of nutritional projects in Burera District, significantly enhancing efficiency, capacity building, and sustainability of outcomes. It recommends strengthening continuous technical support through mentorship and supervision, increasing investment in local capacity building by government and development partners, and integrating structured, context-specific technical assistance mechanisms into future nutrition programs to improve effectiveness and long-term sustainability.

social science

1. Ahmed, S., Hossain, M., & Sanin, K. I. (2020). Impact of nutrition education and interventions on dietary practices and outcomes in low-income settings: Evidence from developing countries. Food Policy, 93, 101978. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Bhutta, Z. A., Das, J. K., Rizvi, A., Gaffey, M. F., Walker, N., Horton, S., ... & Black, R. E. (2013). Evidence-based interventions for improvement of maternal and child nutrition: What can be done and at what cost? The Lancet, 382(9890), 452–477. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(13)60996-4 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Duflo, E., Glennerster, R., & Kremer, M. (2011). Using randomization in development economics research: A toolkit. In T. Schultz & J. Strauss (Eds.), Handbook of Development Economics (Vol. 4, pp. 3895–3962). Elsevier. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Karanja, P., Mutiso, M., & Otieno, E. (2018). Technical assistance and health outcomes: A study of nutrition programs in East Africa. Journal of African Health Systems, 9(1), 44–56. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Krejcie, R. V., & Morgan, D. W. (1970). Determining sample size for research activities. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 30(3), 607–610. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. Kuhlmann, S., & Cini, M. (2017). Knowledge transfer in development: A policy and practice review. Public Administration and Development, 37(4), 265–277. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. Ministry of Women and Child Development. (2021). Poshan Abhiyaan: National Nutrition Mission progress report. Government of India. https://wcd.nic.in [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. MoH. (2022). Health Sector Strategic Plan 2023–2028. Government of Rwanda. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. https://www.moh.gov.rw [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. NISR. (2022). Fifth Rwanda Population and Housing Census (RPHC5) 2022: Main results. Kigali, Rwanda: National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. NISR. (2022). Fifth Rwanda Population and Housing Census (RPHC5) 2022: Main results. Kigali, Rwanda: National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

12. Paina, L., & Peters, D. H. (2012). Understanding pathways for scaling up health services through the lens of complex adaptive systems. Health Policy and Planning, 27(5), 365–373. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

13. Thomas, E., Adams, J., & Brown, K. (2021). The role of continuous technical support in improving project implementation and outcomes in global health programs. International Journal of Project Management, 39(6), 715–726. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

14. UNICEF. (2021). Uganda Nutrition Action Plan (UNAP) Evaluation Report. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

15. https://www.unicef.org/uganda/reports [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

16. USAID. (2022). Integrated Nutrition and Health Program in Kenya: Final Evaluation Report. United States Agency for International Development. https://www.usaid.gov [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

17. USDA. (2023). Nutrition programs and food security initiatives in the United States. Washington, DC: USDA. https://www.usda.gov [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

18. Vassall, A., Sweeney, S., Kahn, J., Gomez, G. B., Bollinger, L., Marseille, E., & Cunnama, L. (2019). Reference case for estimating the costs of global health services and interventions. Global Health Cost Consortium. https://ghcosting.org [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

19. Weiss, C. H. (1995). Nothing as practical as good theory: Exploring theory-based evaluation for comprehensive community initiatives for children and families. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

20. Wernerfelt, B. (1984). A resource-based view of the firm. Strategic Management Journal, 5(2), 171–180. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.4250050207 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

• LeafQuest: A Mobile-Based Augmented Reality for Plant Placement, Discovery, and Growth
• Participatory Ergonomic Intervention Approach on Musculoskeletal Disorder (MSD) in Construction Sectors: A Systematic Review
• Integrating GIS into Traffic Incident Management: A Web-Based System
• RideSmart: A Personalized Motorcycle Product Recommendation System Using TF-IDF and Descriptive Analytics for Javidson Motorshop
• Educational Technology Course Design in Pre-Service Teachers Education: A Bibliometric Review of the Research Landscape