The current Kenyan population level is 41 million, up from 21 million in 1989. There is no greater challenge to development, as over-population tends to nullify economic progress. With the advent of Free Primary Schooling in 2003, kenya did a great job of getting Bottoms On Seats. Access to education has improved enormously, but as population levels rise the GOK and donor governments have been unable to meet the required funding, particularly in the poorest rural areas where fertility rates remain highest. In schools we work with, if we removed our teaching support, class sizes would rise in some cases to 120 pupils to one teacher. Education for sure: but based on Quantity not Quality.
There is a clear correlation between levels of female education and female fertility rates. Education leads to delay of marriage, to increased knowledge about contraceptive choices, to greater economic choices for women, to increased autonomy in women’s decision making and to greater communication within marriage: all of these assisting in access to Family Planning and increased exercise of choice. As effective FP choices increase so greater education is required. With the advent of three year Implants, choices increase in both number and complexity.
It is inevitably the economic cost of education, versus its perceived benefits that will be the prime determinants of parents sending kids to school in the poorer rural areas. When the drought of 2009 in the Ol Lentille Community killed over three quarters of domestic livestock, not only did the schools see a large increase in enrollment of younger children, but also many Morans, who would formally have been out herding, entered primary school for the first time.
Seven or more years in school cuts fertility rates in half; but it is years in Secondary Education which has the greatest reduction in fertility rate for girls and the greatest delay in marriage. Educating mothers decreases child mortality and leads to healthier infants.Access to Family Planning is a basic Human Right which cannot be seen in isolation from those other basic Human Right- Female Education and the Right to Health Care.
Pictured are the Nabakisho Health Care nurses in action at a mobile clinic at Rumate where FP choices are discussed... levels of understanding of their full range of FP choices will remain hazy for many of these women who have no education.
Thank you for this! Didn't even know there was such a thing as the International Conference on Family Planning - I will now look it up!
ReplyDeleteHI Tess be bless cuzo ya kusaidia mtoto wakenya ok chao
ReplyDeleteAmazing how simple it can be to communicate with people and have them understand a certain topic, you made my day.
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