Let’s talk on family planning… What is the ideology behind Family Planning? – according to google, family planning is the practice of controlling the number of children one has and the intervals between their births, particularly by means of contraception or voluntary sterilization.
There are different perceptions to the phrase, some say abstinence, birth control, children spacing, pregnancy prevention and what have you… but here’s one thing all these perspectives all have in common – DECISION.
It really all bounce back to an individual (mostly couple’s) decision, decision on the amount of children to have, decision on the time space of each children, decision whether not to or to have children… it really all bounce back to decision.
But… why Family Planning?! Do we really need family planning? what’s the point? That there, is not so tough a question…
Nigeria’s population continues to increase rapidly with no commensurate development in health care service delivery. With a current estimated population of 186 million and an annual growth rate of about 2.5%, Nigeria’s huge population, fuelled by high birth rate without good family planning, can be a huge burden with resultant poor health indices such as high maternal and infant deaths. Nigeria’s maternal and child deaths is one of the highest in the world.
Our society today is faced with a buttload of maternal health problems – devastating statistics of deaths of women during childbirths, scarce healthcare resources, less regional doctors and more…
A statistic by the Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative, NURHI, shows that over 40,000 Nigerian women die each passing year over maternal problems.
Like that isn’t devastating news enough, the poverty rate in the country has not in any way reduced over the years, with many unemployed people who have families to take care of.
There are a handful of reasons why Family Planning is important in our society – the Nation will achieve it’s economic security if child birth rate is properly regulated.
Over 700,000 unattended pregnancies would be averted if Nigerians understand family planning and its benefits.
The lives of over 4,000 mothers and children would also be saved.
And this is why the Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative, NURHI, has over the years, been in cities across the nation to not only create awareness but also supply the unmet need of Family planning in the country.
DEVCOMS, a media-development, capacity-building non-governmental organization has also in partnership with the Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative, NURHI and a couple of other media websites, like us, YBL, created an avenue to help in the propagation of Family planning in Nigeria.
With the aid of social media platforms and every other communicative means possible, we hope to help increase the awareness of the need of family planning in the country in the next few years.
Be a part of this, enlighten and educate your friends and families on the need of family planning… Let’s #GetItTogether Nigeria and together, we can make the future brighter for us!
