KAYANZA May 30th (ABP) – The Kayanza provincial health office organized, on Wednesday May 25, at the headquarters of the Kayanza commune and province, a conference-debate for community and fait leaders, administrative and school officials as well as service providers. It was a question of discussing the sexual and reproductive health of adolescents and young people (SSRAJ) and adopting strategies aimed at controlling population growth, a check on the site by ABP has revealed.
In that conference-debate, the supervisor of the provincial health office in Kayanza in the field of reproductive health, Mr. Herbert Patrick Mukunzi, indicated that in Burundi, without sparing the province of Kayanza, the age pyramid shows that in 2019, the young population under the age of 25 represented more than 65% of the Burundian population. He stressed that Kayanza province is one of the provinces with strong population growth and that if nothing is done, there is a risk that the young population will double in the next ten years.
With regard to the consequences of this strong population growth, he mentioned, among other things, high unemployment, the loss of the quality of education, unwanted pregnancies among young girls, land disputes, the deterioration of the environment and deforestation as well as maternal mortality.
As for the problems that haunt young people and adolescents, he spoke of early and unwanted pregnancies, clandestine abortions, prostitution, sexually transmitted infections, early marriages, and many others. To address all these challenges, the conference-debate participants proposed that there be a revitalization of health clubs both in schools and in health facilities. They also asked for more capacity building sessions at all levels, starting with community leaders, local administrative officials, school officials and those working in the health sector. For the same participants, there must be work in synergy, especially in awareness sessions related to responsible reproduction.