Today, 22 November 2018: The Right Honorable Prime Minister Dr. Edouard Ngirente explained to the Rwandan Parliament, Chamber of Senate, strategies that were adopted by the Government of Rwanda to deal with the issue of Family Planning.

In his presentation, the Premier emphasized the importance of family planning in the national economic growth as well as in the social welfare of the population as highlighted in various published studies.

The Prime Minister used statistics to show to Senators some of the key achievements that Rwanda has registered in the last 10 years in various family planning programs.

Some of them are the following:

• From 2005 to 2015 the prevalence rate of those who modern contraceptive methods increased from 10% to 48%.
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• Globally, between 2005 and 2015 Rwanda recorded one of the fastest increases in the contraceptive prevalence rate from 10.3% to 45.1%.

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• Fertility rate per woman has decreased. It went for 4.6 in 2010 to 4.2 as of 2018.
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• The number of men who adopted Vasectomy as a contraception method increased from 2394 in 2012 to 3682 in 2018.
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• Family planning services are available in all villages.
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• Long-lasting contraceptive methods were introduced in all healthcare facilities.
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• The budget allocation to the health sector is currently at 16% which already surpasses the 2001 Abuja Declaration.
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• The establishment of the National Early Childhood Development Program (NECDP).
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• The adoption of the integration of family planning within existing Maternal Child Health services.
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The Prime Minister presented to the Senate, different strategies that the Government of Rwanda adopted in improving family planning programs in line with the Rwandan Vision 2050. Some of those strategies are the following:

• Capacity building of community health workers at the village level so that they can provide short-term family planning services.
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• Appointment of a nurse as a focal person in each health center level who is responsible for helping people in need to easily access family planning services.
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• Strengthen the Early Child Development Program due to its importance in fighting malnutrition, promoting hygiene especially in the first 1000 days of the child’s life.
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• Introducing child-friendly sex education/reproductive health courses at each school level taking into account the content to be delivered.
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• Streamlining collaboration between all organs and services involved in the implementation of Family Planning programs.
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The Prime Minister concluded his presentation reiterating the need for a strong partnership of all stakeholders including the Rwandan society, religious communities, the private sector for the effective implementation of family planning programs.

Unanimously, all Senators were satisfied by the explanations that were given by the Rt.Hon. Prime Minister.