BUJUMBURA, May 26 (ABP) – Burundi is experiencing a high natural population growth rate, with its people estimated at over 13 million, according to data from the latest census on population, housing, agriculture, and livestock, despite efforts by the National Reproductive Health Program (PNSR) to promote family planning in the reproductive health sector.
Rumors pose a major challenge to family planning because they prevent women and girls of childbearing age from confiding in healthcare facilities to receive advice on the methods to adopt for birth control.
This is the observation made by Emelyne Nshimirimana, a teacher at ECOFO Gatumba III in Mutimbuzi commune, during an interview she gave to ABP. This woman, mother of three, indicated that rumors play a significant role. To support her point, she gave examples of adverse reactions experienced by some women which, once made public, generate reluctance to adopt family planning methods.
She explained the case of a woman on injections who experienced heavy bleeding. After telling her peers what happened to her, these women concluded that the same would happen to them if they adopted this method.
According to her testimony, Nshimirimana was given injections, but the method did not suit her. Consequently, she returned to the health center, where she was offered pills, and currently, her health is good.
To those who believe rumors, she advises not to be afraid but to approach healthcare personnel so they can propose another method since there are many options. A method may suit one woman but not produce the expected results in another. Over time, each woman will find a method that suits her, is applied, and brings effective and expected results, she concluded.