The Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies has challenged parents in rural areas to respect family planning programmes if they are to satisfy the needs of their children. Donatille Mukabalisa delivered the message on Saturday when she, alongside 17 Members of Parliament and local leaders, joined residents of Karama Sector, Nyagatare District in the monthly community work known as Umuganda. “The Government does its best to deliver the services that you need. You therefore need to carry out good planning, starting from your homes,” she said, stressing the importance of family planning. “I would like to urge you to produce children you are able to raise.” The call comes at a time figures from the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR) show that the country’s population increased from 10.5 million in 2012 to 12.3 million in 2017. Life expectancy increased to 67 years. The projections of NISR show that between 2030 and 2050 Rwanda’s population will be around 20 million. The Speaker also tipped parents on balanced diet for children. She also encouraged locals to adapt to technology advancement in all sectors, including agriculture “I saw a person using piped water to irrigate their crops. In developed economies, they irrigate the farms while sitting in their offices. They do it through their computers,” she stated. She noted that to achieve that level of development, Rwandans have to fight malnutrition, which will help to sharpen the children’s brains. Jean-Baptiste Habamenshi, who hails from Kanunga Village, Nyakiga cell said that; “the mentality of producing many children should be a thing of the past.” “I have three daughters, I am 48, and I am not planning to have more children because I think these are the ones I have capacity to raise, and they will be able to have good life when they grow up. “I was born in a family of six children. When I compared with our time, I decided that I had to raise three children, save for them, so they will not suffer when I am not there anymore,” Habamenshi explained. editor@newtimesrwanda.com
