• Thu. Mar 28th, 2024

Leaders pledge to contribute for family planning

ByWebmaster

May 26, 2023

Cibitoke May 26th (ABP) – Administrative officials, heads of health services, education, religious denominations, and others, have pledged to contribute to the promotion of family planning, with a view to reducing the rate of population growth.

It was said on Wednesday, May 24, 2023, at the headquarters of Cibitoke province, during a meeting of community leaders, for sexual reproductive health advocacy.

In that meeting organized by the NGO Twitezimbere, as part of the project “multi-stakeholder engagement for family planning in Burundi”, the participants discussed the obstacles related to family planning, and proposed solutions, with actions to be carried out.

For the provincial doctor in Cibitoke, Dr. Jean Claude Habiyaremye, the development of the country depends on the health of its population in general, and the sexual reproductive health of young people, in particular. He said that family planning decreases the number of maternal and child deaths. He added that family planning promotes poverty reduction with an increase in Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

For the chief of staff in the office of the governor of Cibitoke province, Anicet Saïdi, who opened the meeting, community leaders must each make their contribution to the promotion of family planning.

As for the coordinator of the Twitezimbere project, Mrs. Sonia Akimana, the leaders of the province must work in synergy for advocacy in sexual reproductive health.

Participants spoke about barriers related to Family Planning including ignorance, rumors around contraceptive methods, cultural and religious beliefs, some breaches of the law, and others. As solutions to the challenges, it is necessary to continue raising awareness on family planning, to provide the marital status service with the computer tool to be able to detect attempts at polygamy.

The participants also recommended advocating for a law obliging men married to several wives to consider the first wife when registering the marriage in the civil registry.

The participants in the meeting also committed themselves, with actions to be carried out, each in their sector, to promote family planning and to subscribe to the government instruction limiting the number of children per couple to three.