Rwandan Government Seeks to Control Population

As part of a new public health campaign, Rwanda's government is encouraging men to have vasectomies to curb population growth in the country. Currently, the small African country is facing challenges as the population grows. The United Nations estimates 10.2 million people in the country, which is approximately 28, 338 square kilometers in area. With approximately 300 people per square kilometer in a country that is rebuilding a national economy, the large population puts a strain on natural resources.
As the population increases there is greater competition for a finite amount of water, food, energy and even land. In addition, the large amount of people produce solid waste that has to be managed. Consequently, pollution (both water and air) exists, and resulting illnesses such as cholera, dysentery and typhoid plague countries battling overpopulation. As the population stabilizes, governments focus more on education and the quality of living of its citizens.

The government has also been encouraging men in the country to get circumcisions as part of its HIV prevention campaign, and will now add vasectomies to the public awareness campaign. A vasectomy is a surgical procedure for men that prevents sperm from moving from the testicles to the prostate. The outpatient procedure requires a local anesthetic and is most often irreversible.
Although public health campaigns that encourage population control are often met with controversy, raising red flags regarding the right to procreate, reports indicate that Rwandans have been responsive to the idea of family planning. The number of family planning clients has almost doubled from 2006 to 2007 at Kigali's (the capital city) Gitega Health Center. However, the number is still relatively small and public health officials hope that their emphasis on vasectomies will get more men involved in family planning decision-making.

Family planning in Rwanda faces several cultural obstacles. For example, newlyweds are often encouraged to be fruitful. In addition, women often bear the responsibility of birth control. In some instances, married women may not even tell their husbands that they are taking birth control. Public health officials in Rwanda have enlisted female public opinion leaders to encourage women to use HIV prevention methods. They may use the same methods to encourage men to have vasectomies. Some African men are under the incorrect assumption that vasectomies cause impotence. Public health officials will have to find men to publicly speak out about the safety of vasectomies.

Finally, with the nation still reeling from the effects of genocide, they are wary of a message to limit the size of their families. In 1994, genocide swept through the country. President Paul Kagame and his party ended the 1994 genocide, and since then, he has been elected as president in 2000, 2003 and most recently in 2010. Rwanda is a primarily Catholic country, where devout followers of the faith are taught that birth control defies God's plan. The family planning message must emphasize that family planning is a choice not a mandate, and that parents who choose to limit the number of children can provide better opportunities for their children.

Photo by Dylan Walters