About 600 people in the lake and western zone have benefited from training on family planning provided to nurses.
The training was offered by three non-governmental organisations, namely Jhpiego, Engenderhealth and PATH under the Usaid financed Boresha Afya project being undertaken in the area.
According to the Ukerewe District Reproductive Child Health acting Coordinator, Ms Lucy Mirita, family planning services were on high demand in Islets where women are giving birth to a lot of children contributing population boom.
She noted that many families in those areas have many children whom they cannot take care properly.
“In September, 2017, not less than 980 women gave birth in Ukerewe district, we are trying to counsel them whenever they come to hospital with their spouses and the response has being good so far,” she said.
“In collaboration with the District Councils and through our committed and dedicated technical teams we bring FP education and services closer to the community focusing on hard to reach areas. Improving access to FP will enable women and young people to make informed choices over their reproductive plan and promote gender equality,” she said.
Eugenia Petro, 33, a mother of eight children who has benefited from the services says: “God has blessed me with eight children and I realised that it was enough. I can’t add another one due to the economic situation we have with my husband so we had to decide on this in-order to raise these kids well.”