There’s nothing more primal or profound that our collective societal feelings for mothers and children. And yet, in some parts of the world, mothers and children continue to suffer mightily in ways that are difficult to understand. The Population Reference Bureau (PRB) tried to shed some light on the causes and effects today, by hosting an online discussion about mothers and children in sub-Saharan Africa, one of the most stressed and poorest spots on the globe. The PRB discussion is a follow-up to a U.S. congressional briefing on this topic, held in June 2009 in Washington, D.C.
A full transcript of the web discussion is posted here. John Bongaarts and Nafissatou Diop led the discussion. They are both with an international, non-profit NGO called the Population Council.
And they said that, every year in sub-Saharan Africa, 265,000 mothers die in childbirth and 4.5 million children die before the age of 5 from preventable causes. At the same time, sub-Saharan Africa is experiencing fertility rates among the highest in the world. Mothers dying, children dying and yet more children being born. Why?
John Bongaarts mentioned several reasons why married women in this part of the world don’t use contraception. He said the desired family size here is typically around five (5.4 children per woman is average), so some women simply want more children. He also mentioned women who may not want to get pregnant, but don’t use contraception due to fear of side effects, lack of knowledge and access, costs and opposition from self, spouse or others. Quality health care, counseling and appropriate media messages can help in this case, he said.
In an already stressed region of the world, more children mean more adverse effects. Yet the reverse is also true, according to Bongaarts. Reductions in fertility can make important contributions to economic growth through several mechanisms.
First, he said, according a recent UN report, “for every dollar spent in family planning, between 2 and 6 dollars can be saved in interventions aimed at achieving other development goals.”
Second, he said, as women spend less time on childcare, they can become wage earners outside the family – thus boosting income and reducing poverty.
Finally, he said, “fertility decline leads to a so-called demographic dividend which refers to a rise in the rate of economic growth due to a rising share of working age people in a population. Reduced fertility also increases expenditures on children’s education and health, and encourages savings thus giving economic growth a further boost.”
No discussion of sub-Saharan Africa and population growth would be complete without a mention of the ongoing HIV/AIDS epidemic. Sub-Saharan Africa is home to over 70% of the total world HIV-positive population, according to the website AIDsinAfrica.net. In today’s PRB discussion of Africa, though, population experts said that this continent’s rapid population growth more than offsets the deaths due to AIDS.
The conclusion: in spite of these challenges, family planning continues to be one of the best opportunities to improve the health of mothers and children throughout Africa.
View a webcast of the briefing (time: 39 minutes), featuring John Bongaarts, Nafissatou Diop, and Jotham Musinguzi, regional director of Partners in Population and Development, Africa Regional Office in Uganda.
But I would not give you false hope
On this strange and mournful day
When the mother and child reunion
Is only a motion away,
Oh the mother and child reunion
Is only a motion away … – Paul Simon
Education is and has always been the tool to changing the world. Ignorance is the gravest danger to our future, and whether it’s helping build schools in Afghanistan or family planning in Africa, the only way to responsibly move the world in the right direction is through a concentrated effort at education.
Exactly what should be taught is another story, and an eminently controversial one.
I agree with the comment above stating that education really is the key factor. If our government acts on a more strict and responsible education poverty would be lessened, people will know about a lot of things and would not enter a family while still young, population would reduce.
Education absolutely is the key there IMO. Only through this can we help people help themselves.
Another thing that I have seen work well is micro-loans given to small businesses to help them get off the ground.
While the money might not be huge to use, it seems to help in the long run.
Your point about lowering the birth rate is really good. I agree that this can have a profound affect on the economic conditions in the area.
Like you said, as women spend less and less time raising children, they can spend more of that time being wage earners and more direct economic contributions in the work force.
Hello guys, I really liked the post. Thanks for sharing this with us.
In most developing countries, having children is a form of future social security. People in those countries think that having more children increases the probability of at least one of them surviving and making it into adulthood.
The surviving children are required to take care of the parents, since there is absolutely no social safety net.
I think whatever aid we provide has to focus on economic development, so people can break free of this way of life. We are going to be overwhelmed if more poor people keep breeding even more poor people.
This world is just to cruel for some people !
In most developing countries, having children is a form of future social security. People in those countries think that having more children increases the probability of at least one of them surviving and making it into adulthood.
It is unthinkable that in the 21st century continue passing these things, and worst of all that we do not see a solution to this painful situation.
I guess the government should really focus on information dissemination on family planning and contraceptives. This way mothers can focus on working and earning income to alleviate poverty.
As for the huge number of children dying, this shouldn’t happen if budgets for more vaccines and better child care facilities can be created. Plus the family planning and contraceptive actions will help as well
“I guess the government should really focus on information dissemination on family planning and contraceptives. This way mothers can focus on working and earning income to alleviate poverty.
As for the huge number of children dying, this shouldn’t happen if budgets for more vaccines and better child care facilities can be created. Plus the family planning and contraceptive actions will help as well” by Erick Libby
I agree that and give them livelihood project so that their focus would be on the project for income and not on producing babies. Thank for sharing this informative article.