Rwanda joined the rest of the world to mark the World Population Day yesterday.  Locally, the day was celebrated under the theme; "Raising Awareness on Population and Development Issues”.

Raising awareness on population and development issues is a critical aspect in national development planning. One of the major issues that keep coming up in the population debate, is the ideal number of children a family should have.

While people are free to have their desired number of children, being able to raise these children should be the most important issue to consider because it has a direct effect on the country’s socio-economic development.

Many people, especially in the rural areas, still produce children without any planning. As a result we end up with children who are raised without basic needs like good nutrition, health and education services.

Giving birth to children that one will not be able to look after has consequences on the individual family and the country at large. It puts the country’s resources under pressure.

Therefore, we need more sensitisation on why having a manageable family is a foundation of a prosperous country.  A manageable family means that one is able to provide all the basic needs of the children like health and education, among others.

Consequently they will grow into responsible citizens with skills to contribute to development of the country.

Having children that one can’t look after is one of the causes of abandoned children, high infant mortality rates and high number of youth involved in crime.

Much as the government tries to provide services for every citizen, the primary responsibility lies with the family. If at the family level, one can’t give birth to children they can manage to raise – it means the country’s national growth rate will be slow.