Parents in Karongi District have been called upon to embrace family planning practices as way of boosting their welfare.

The inability to control the number of children born in a family bears a heavy burden of their wellbeing.

According to Dr. Patrick Ndimubanzi, the Minister of State for Public and Primary Healthcare, it is important for all Rwandans to embrace family planning as it has an impact on the country’s economic growth.

The Minister spent Saturday morning with Karongi residents to celebrate the World Population Day. It was held under the theme, "family planning is a human right.”

Discussions on family planning were part of Umuganda activities at Rwankuba sector in Karongi District.

The district has 331,808 residents.

The contraceptive prevalence rate for married women in Karongi district stands at 37.7 per cent – one of the lowest in the country. It is the third among the lowest after Nyamasheke and Rusizi according to Rwanda Health Demographic Survey (RDHS) 2015.

Rwanda’s average is at 48 per cent.  

During last week’s campaign on family planning in the district, 3,495 people received family planning services. Through the outreach programme, 49.6 per cent received long-term contraception including two men who opted for a vasectomy.

Minister Ndimubanzi reiterated the importance of family planning to the development of the country, promoting the rights of children and women as well as improving the living conditions of the families.

"The country has progressed in family planning. Both men and women should embrace the programme because it impacts (the) economic growth of the country and improves (the) well-being of family members,” he said.

Ndimubanzi addressed some of the challenges that hinder family planning, citing ignorance and religious beliefs that discourage the use of contraceptives.

Mark Bryan Schreiner, the UNFPA Representative to Rwanda, as part of the One UN Family in Rwanda, called all stakeholders to collectively identify the current gaps in family planning.

He called for stakeholders to collectively come up with innovative and effective strategies to accelerate the attainment of Family Planning targets.

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