_Family Planning Success In Nho Cites In Zaire_ _6_ In contrast to certain countries in Asia and Latin America where family planning has gained widespread acceptance because couples see a direct connection between fewer children and a better life, this is not generally the case in Zaire. Among the very poorest sectors of the population, it is said that 'our children are our only wealth." Moreover, in a system where promotion and advancement in the government and commercial sector are often based on political or familial ties, there may be less motivation to assure each child a good education. Rather, many parents may take the view that by having a large number of children they increase their odds of having a child able to take care of them in their old age. Their hope is that at least one child wIll be lucky and do well, so that he can in turn provide for his younger siblings, parents and often others within the family.

Closely related to the importance of fertility is a fear of sterility. Persons unable to produce children are subject to pity, mockery and even ridicule. Little consideration may be given to the physiological causes or infertility; rather, it is common to look for "supernatural" reasons, often in the form of sorcery or a curse inflicted on one for some past deed. Because a childless adult has difficulty in attaining the same status as those who bear children in traditional society, the fear of sterility begins early and accompanies one throughout the reproductive years.

Birth spacing has been practiced traditionally in Zaire 19,10,111, and originally took the form of a physical separation of the couple until the new child was old enough to walk or until it was weaned. In many cases the woman returned to her parents' village; in others, she remained with her child while her husband slept with one or more co-wives. Although polygyny was outlawed under Belgian rule, it was never fully suppressed, and vestiges of this system remain in force, though to differing degrees among different ethnic groups within Zaire. Moreover, the mother's sexual abstinence during the post-partum period was often viewed as essential to avoid contamination of the mother's milk while she was still breastfeeding; traditionally abstinence lasted at least one year and often two years after the birth of the child.

Most Zairians find the use of "trad,tional methods" (abstinence, rhythm, withdrawal, and a traditional belt used to ward off pregnancy) to be a highly acceptable extension of the birth spacing practices used by their ancestors [121. In contrast to Westerners who tend to dismiss these methods as inconvenient or ineffective, the Zairians who have been interviewed in a number of studies and focus groups to date have embraced these methods without hesitation. By contrast, there is widespread suspicion of modern methods, possibly because they are viewed as leading to disease, sterility and/or marital infidelity (on the part of the wife). This preference for traditional over modern methods is found in all the studies of contraceptive prevalence to date in Zaire [3,5,131, though it may reflect not only attitudes but also limited access to modern contraceptives until recent years.

The widespread use of traditional methods is a sign of desire to control fertility under certain circumstances (often when the youngest child is still under 24 months). This suggests the felt need by the population for some means of pregnanc. revention, which was somewhat satisfied by the traditional methods available to this population. As modern methods have been introduced into Zaire, the initial reaction among the population at large has been one of resistance and skepticism. However, in at least two cities, a part of the population has responded favorably to modern contraceptives when they have been continuously available from readily accessible locations at an affordable cost. Given the limited acceptance of modern contraception to date in