KAYANZA, November 8th (ABP) – Couples of childbearing age in various communes of Kayanza province (north) should change their mentalities to give birth to children whose needs they are capable of satisfying, especially as arable land is dwindling overnight”. That appeal is often made to them by administrative and health officials, in view of the stage reached in self-development by couples who have already responded to that appeal.
Those same officials say they are confident that the national vision of Burundi emerging in 2040 and developed in 2060 can be achieved, if the population responds to that appeal.
Those who have not been able to take up that call, which dates back to ancient times, have taken advantage of their age by giving birth to children whose needs they are unable to meet.
By way of illustration, Mr. Viateur Cishahayo, known by the nickname Mashuja, a native and resident of the Nyagatovu sub-colline, colline Shurugumya, zone Nzewe in commune Gahombo, confided to ABP with a sense of regret that at just 35, he had eight children from four wives.
“Seeing that by continuing at the same pace, it would be completely difficult for me to provide for them, I spoke to my legal wife about undergoing a vasectomy so that I could stop giving birth despite the fact that the vase had already overflowed,” continued the polygamist.
On the basis of that experience, which has so far been indelible, Mr. Cishahayo calls on his peers to adhere to contraceptive methods so as not to suffer the same fate, especially since, according to him, it is now very difficult for him to feed, clothe and send his children to school, with his job as a carpenter.
Mrs. Gérardine Ninziza, from the locality of Gisoro, colline Musave, in the town of Kayanza, says that she started her household when she was under 18, and reveals that with her adherence to the contraceptive methods of her choice, she has four children today. “If I hadn’t adopted the contraceptive method, I’d already have given birth to even more than 10 children,” she says, while rejoicing that two of her four children are already at university, the third in 7th grade and the last in nursery school.
“It’s thanks to the contraceptive method that I’ve been able to have good health and limit births. I have enough time to take care of family affairs, which enables our family to develop itself”, she pointed out, adding that she would not wish any of her peers to remain childless or to give birth to children roaming the streets.
Mrs. Dorothée Minani is another woman from Mudusi village, in commune Gatara, who testified that she underwent tubal ligation, and that she adhered to that method in common agreement with her spouse, after having given birth to nine children. Despite the small size of their landholding, she reassured us that her family is now able to send their children to school, and that they have been able to buy two cows and plots of land, which she believes would not have been possible if the couple had continued to have children.
Contacted to find out whether there has really been a marked improvement in self-development after adopting the various contraceptive methods, the neighbors of the people I spoke to were delighted that their peers who had adopted those methods had completely changed their living conditions.
For example, a woman by the name of Goreth Bayizere, from the town of Kayanza, explains that by limiting births, conflicts between spouses are significantly reduced in the surrounding area, as couples can usefully take care of family obligations and closely monitor their children’s education.
For her part, Mrs. Godeliève Nkengurutse, a resident of Musave village and President of a group of Community Health Workers (GASC) near the Kayanza health center, asserts without a doubt that they carry out raids in at least four households a month, especially among couples who do not adhere to birth control. “That way, we raise their awareness so that they adhere to the various contraceptive methods, but it’s the women who understand, first and foremost, that contraceptive methods for men are only condoms or vasectomy”, she insists.
Mrs. Nkengurutse adds that women who get the message right go to the health center, obviously in the company of community health workers, to undergo the contraceptive method of their choice. That is all done once the spouses have agreed on the contraceptive method to be used.
Contacted on the same subject, the provincial doctor for the health province of Kayanza, Dr. Pascal Niyonzima, is delighted that adherence to the various contraceptive methods has enabled a good number of households to escape poverty and meet the needs of their offspring. With that in mind, he invites couples to analyze their financial and material resources before considering giving birth.
“When the population understands that giving birth to a large number of children is almost a crime, and that it has a negative impact on family wealth and children’s future, development will follow and achieving the national vision 2040-2060 will no longer be a dream,” says Dr Niyonzima, adding that that will lead to the reduction or even eradication of maternal and infant deaths during childbirth.
On the administrative side, Mr. Vianney Ndikumana, Chief of Staff to the Governor of Kayanza, points out that it is incomprehensible that parents continue to bring children into the world whom they are unable to raise, even though the health facilities are there to help them adhere to the various contraceptive methods. He deplores the fact that young people who want to start a family ask their parents to provide them with plots of land to build on, even though they don’t have any because the land is dwindling.
“That’s why some people want their parents to die early, so that they can have easy access to family property”, he laments, urging parents to get their act together and talk about family planning.
Ngozi province leads the way in terms of contraceptive use, with a rate of 39%, followed by Kayanza (34%) and Muyinga (29%), while Makamba province ranks last nationally, with a modern contraceptive prevalence rate of 9%.