Visiting Norwegian Member of Parliament (MP) Heidi Bordby Lunde has said investing more resources in family planning is key for Malawi’s economic growth.
Lunde was speaking in an interview on Wednesday in Lilongwe after meeting with UNFPA officials on achievements and challenges related to sexual and reproductive health rights.
“If you want to make a hard and sustainable economic growth in Malawi as you see in other countries, you need to have some sort of family planning, whether the authorities wants it or not,” she challenged.
Lunde who is a member of the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs in the Norwegian Parliament called on Malawi Government to ensure access to family planning services at all levels and suggested that both the Malawi Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education should work closely in the provision of family planning services to youth in schools.
“This is helpful because it is about how you can make Malawi grow economically. When 52 percent of the country’s population is not working because they are carrying children it hurts the economy,” she advised.
The MP said her country, Norway, is performing well economically today because it successfully stopped issues of early pregnancies and unwanted pregnancies by increasing availability of family planning services at all levels which has helped more women have ample time to do some economic activities than staying home caring for babies.
“I think a lot of people think that Norway is a wealthy country because we have oil and natural resources. But looking into the data by the Ministry of Finance, the inclusion of women in the workforce has contributed more to Norwegian economy than the whole income from our natural resources,” she said.
Lunde who is with fellow parliamentarians in Malawi to follow up on sexual and reproductive rights as well as gay rights said she is impressed with some of the results that Malawi has had over the years.
She further applauded Family Planning Association of Malawi (FPAM) for the work they are doing in sexual reproductive health and promotion of youth friendly services. She also commended Senior Chief Kachindamoto who is working with FPAM for ending early marriages in her area, saying political and traditional leaders should emulate the good work the chief is doing.
However, Lunde called on stakeholders to do more in ending some cultural practices that promote early marriages and sexual practices.
Speaking at the same function, Executive Director of Family Planning Association of Malawi (FPAM) Thokozani Mbendera said early pregnancies are rampant due to several factors including self-boarding, cultural practices, and poverty. He said the problem might be worsened by the problem hunger in the country.
According to Mbendera, 50 percent of all adolescent girls are becoming pregnant before they attain their 19th birthday and that most of the teen mothers do not return to school after delivering, which is bad for Malawi economy.
“Statistics are showing that the pregnancy rate has increased from 26 to 29 therefore we have a lot of work to do and we will take on the challenge.
“We will work mainly to continue lobbying the Ministry of Education to soften their policy because their policy does not allow provision of sexual reproductive services in schools yet those are the areas where a lot of youth and girls are found. We think we should be considerate that we should reach out to the youth with services,” Mbendera said.
Zikhoza kukhala zoona koma dziko la Malawi maphunzironso ndi ndale zaononga kwambiri chuma chadziko
Both lack of family planning and cashgate
We shouldn’t hide behind family planning as if its the sole root cause of downturn economy!
Infact, they shouldn’t dictate to us about what we entertain our families!
Find other topics to resuscitating the economy!
New world order triple 6
I choose to differ, The densely populated China has a sound developed economy, Corrupt Malawi with its lower density is miserably in poverty. Corruption, regionalism, tribalism and nepotism are factors backtracking our economy, not what this MP thinks.
i disagree
mp ameneyu siwaku dedza ….lunde?????
Anachita chisankho chobwino kukhala ndi ana awili zinthu sizilibwino
hy
By the time she is in Malawi, she has all info from everyday research records of global nations!
Eya ndizoona zimenezo ku malawi umbuli ukutipha kwambili munthu akulandira $60 yeniyeni pa mwezi wa mu bomatu ameneyo koma mpaka ana 9 achani onsewo
Malenu Anadkat mwini wake wa Ma Bank a First Merchant anali ndi ana awiri zizukulu zinayi. wina wake pano alibe chochita ali ku mudzi ali ndi zaka 48 akufuna mwana wina. wina ali ndi zaka 23 ali kale ndi ana atatu. ziyendapo apa?????
Are those people the saints ?mean those whites #zachambabasi
I totally and strongly disagree with you dude,we use family planning but our leaders are selfish,self centered,greedy,tribalistic,unscrupulous and cashgaters thus retards our national development.
Magetsi
thanks for your correction
front photo for this article is expresident Musharaf
This just reminds me what my former lecturer once told our class; if a home does not have some form of entertainment like a radio or T.V. to listen to or watch in the evening, parents will go to bed early and get bored of sleeping. So to try and kill the boredom they will engage in some form of entertainment and you know what kind of entertainment takes place in the bedroom, eh…more kids will be produced in the end.
Zolera zi zachulukisa uhule kwambiri, nchifukwa chake matenda akuchuluka kwambiri,
I dont think so !
Me like
Obama, the US president, ali ndi ana awiri okha basi. Mphuzitsi wa primary kuno akubereka ana mpaka eleventeen of which salary yake + za part time + share ya school fund zonse sizikwana $100 ndiye Malawi angatukuke choncho? Mwina kapena amayendera malemba poti Olenga dzuwa anati tilidzadze dzikoli ngat mchenga ndiye tiyeni nazo basi.
Komatu ntchito yozadzitsa dzikoli sanati ndi yamunthu mmodzi Cj,kkkkkk,aliyense pang’onopang’ono,zikumanyanya ana kuchuluka ngati munthu waamvera msika
Apa ndangopereka chitsanzo chabe Sir. You are right sure ambiri akubereka ngat anawo azagulitsa kkkkk
amaganiza kuti mwina patuluka president pa ana ambiri poti sumaziwa kuti ndiuti.
#Alunji ndakumva
Wrong because family planing is already there and we are trying our best its only that the government is falling to invest because of selfish leaders only busy suiforning our hard earned tx money.
I don’t agree.
We r agree koma mukudziwa vuto ndichani?? Zapangitsa azimayi mm’banjamu kupanga uhule momwe angafunire cz akudziwa kuti ndikatenga family planning I wl never get pregnant,,,,,, Later on mmazatengerana unyang’anya…. Makamaka kwanzathuwa ajonziwa akazawo nde mahule otheratu cz of family planing!! Ndiyabwino kwanzathu osayendawa koma kwa ife oyenda oyenda mmmm ndimbola
I agree with de idea,osat kumangobelekana ngati nkhuku ulibe source of income,thus rubish .
Not only family planning can facilitate economic growth, she is wrong. That is their belief.
Exactly …malawi s economy is not struggling becoz of population growth …she is crazy!!!…
i think so too…anthu ambiri akumangopeleka mimba koma kuthawa responsibility ndizowawa….zomvetsa chisoni kumaona ana akuyenda matako pantunda zovala zokwanila zooneka kugulu alibe chifukwa bambo anathawa mayi akuvutika yekha….mapeto ake azimayi athu amalawi muno okongola ngati amewa akumangoyamba mchitidwe woyendayenda usiku…SHAME
Contrary