At least three-fourth of the children in Tanzania are living under multidimensional poverty, reveals Child Poverty 2016 report.
According to Advance Familyn Planning (AFP) programme advocacy technical manager James Mlali such situation is result of lack of family planning as most of the parents in Tanzania have continued preferring more number of children irrespective of their capacities to manage all the members well.
He was briefing to the media on the occassion of World Population Day on July 11. This year the event was themed as “Family planning is a human right.”
Mlali said parents need to follow modern means of family planning to help children not to get into the viscious trap of poverty and this can be achieved not only by practicing at family level but also at national level.
He added that family planning is equally important at family level as well as national level so that the country gets good workforce for the development of Tanzania as a whole.
He further said, “Currently, 66.9 per cent of the population is dependent. This includes both children and elders, which means only a small number of population is capable of working. This holds back our development because only a few contribute to the country’s development.”
Mlali said the country need to triple its resources and services in fifteen years period if the population grows at the current rate.
It is a fact in Tanzania that most of the rural women hesitate to visit healthcare facilities to take family planning advises.
