[Film leader]
[Tone]
[Film leader]
[Music]
[Family Planning Association of Rhodesia presents]
[Children of the new Africa]
[Narrator:] All industrial towns in Rhodesia
are very much the same.
The railway and the factories all
form part of a similar pattern.
So do the townships where the workers live.
All townships have a school.
And this is the story of two girls
who grow up together in the same township
and attend the same school.
[Music continues]
Mary and Janet are eight-years old.
They are both good pupils and have a lively intelligence.
They both plan to be teachers when they grow up.
Mary comes from a small family.
She has only two brothers.
Her parents decided to plan their family in accordance
with their income.
In this way, they are able to devote sufficient time
and money to each of their children.
Janet is one of nine children.
Her parents did not think about planning their family,
and we shall see how this affected Janet's future.
The fathers of Mary and Janet work at the same factory,
earn the same money, and live in the same township.
Every evening, Mary's father, Amos,
comes straight home from work.
He's very proud of his home and family,
and Mary always greets him.
Today, Amos has visitors.
His elder brother Sylvester has come to town
from his village with his wife.
Amos greets them and then turns his attention
to his two sons, who are busy with their homework.
Amos takes great interest in his children.
So too, does his wife, Esnath.
Since they have only a small family,
they are able to take an individual interest
in each of their children.
[Music]
Mary and her mother go to the kitchen
to prepare the evening meal.
And Amos and his brother settle down for a talk together.
Sylvester does not come to town often,
and there is a lot of news to exchange.
Sylvester is very impressed with his brother's nice home,
and he also remarks how well the children are looking.
When he first heard that Amos was going to plan his family,
he was not pleased, as it was not the old custom.
But now, he can see how well it has worked.
[Music]
Amos says that it was all very easy.
The family planning clinic gave Esnath all the help
and advice that she needed.
And now, he's able to manage his home well on his wages
and gave his children all that they need.
Sylvester agrees that family planning
is a very good thing nowadays, how the way of life
has changed since he was young.
[Music]
Esnath and Mary bring in the food, and Amos and his visitors
sit down to a heart-nourishing evening meal.
The children are also given the same food
while they sit at a table of their own.
Esnath knows the value of good food,
and every evening she prepares a hot meal
of meat and vegetables.
This way, everyone gets the nourishment they need.
There is tea for the women, a glass of beer for the men,
and each of the children has a glass of fresh, creamy milk
with their meal.
[Music]
At Janet's house, however, it is a very different story.
Being such a large family, the mother
does not like the children to be inside the house.
And so they are always made to stay outside or run wild
in the streets.
Janet tries hard to keep up with her homework,
but she always has the youngest child to look after as well.
So it is very difficult for her.
The elder brothers and sister often
get tired of waiting around in the yard,
and then they go off and run in the streets.
Janet's mother, Tendai, is always tired and irritable.
Having such a large family is very tiring,
and her husband, Lemek, is often late home.
She knows the children must have something to eat,
and she calls Janet to help her prepare something.
The other children are told to stay outside and wait
for their food.
[Music]
What a poor evening meal it is for growing children,
just plain slices of bread and black tea with sugar.
There is no nourishment at all in this kind of food.
It will not help the children to grow strong and healthy.
[Music]
Janet's father, Lemek, finally returns.
He has been at the beer hall with friends,
and immediately he demands his evening meal.
Tendai tells him that there is no money left
in the housekeeping, so there'll be only bread to eat.
Lemek is very annoyed and asks what
happens to all the money she has for food.
Tendai says that with all the children
they have, the money he gives her is not enough.
We cannot afford to keep such a large family.
The parents then start a long argument about all the children
and how difficult it is to bring them up properly.
Meanwhile, the children are just outside, eating their bread.
And poor Janet, still trying to complete her homework,
can overhear her parents arguing and feels very sad.
[Music]
[Music ends, fade to black]
[10 Years Later]
[Music]
10 years have passed, and Mary has completed her schooling.
She's buying new clothes, for she's going away
to teacher training college.
Outside the stores, she meets her old friend, Janet, who
she has not seen for some time.
She tells Janet her good news.
Janet suggests they go to a cafe for a cool drink,
as she is waiting for her boyfriend to meet her.
[Music]
The two girls have a lot to talk about.
Mary is excited about going to teacher training college
and tells Janet all about it.
[Music]
Janet is very pleased for her friend
and says that although she won a place at a secondary school,
she was unable to continue schooling,
as there was not enough money to spare in her large family.
She had to leave school three years ago.
She says how different their two families are.
Although their fathers earned the same money,
because her family was so large, there was never enough money.
And she was unable to finish her schooling.
Her home life was never happy, as her parents didn't
have time for the children and they were left
to run wild in the streets.
The one thing that Janet is happy about is her boyfriend.
And as soon as he gets a good job,
they are going to get married.
And she'll be able to get away from home.
She says they'll be like Mary's parents
and only have a small family.
That way, they'll be able to give their children the best.
Mary's sympathetic about Janet's problems
and assures her that things will get better.
But she also warns her about being too hasty
regarding marriage.
Janet's boyfriend eventually turns up
and tells Janet to hurry, as his friends are waiting in a taxi.
He promises her a good time with the party they are going to.
Janet is excited at the thought of a party
and leaves immediately.
[Music]
[Mary watches Janet and boyfriend get into a taxi]
[Janet waves to Mary]
Mary is worried about the kind of life
her friend Janet is leading.
[Music ends, fade to black]
[1 Year Later]
[Music]
Another year has passed, and Mary is
home on holiday from college.
Her mother is very pleased to see her again.
Mary's mother says that her old school friend
Janet is in trouble.
She has had a baby, and her boyfriend left her.
She's in disgrace at home, but is still living there,
as she has nowhere else to go.
Mary says she's very upset to hear this news,
and she must go and see her friend as soon as possible.
She remembers she was worried about Janet
the last time they met.
She knew that Janet was not happy at home
and was looking for a way to escape.
[Music]
Janet's mother is not in a very good mood.
She says that Janet has brought disgrace on the family,
and she wants nothing to do with her daughter.
If Mary wants to see her, she will find her inside
with her baby.
It is a sad reunion for the two friends.
Janet says her boyfriend had promised to marry her.
But as soon as he knew she was in trouble,
he ran away and left her on her own.
She knew she was doing wrong, but she
was so unhappy at home she wanted to get away and start
a new life of her own.
How differently these girls' lives have turned out.
Mary's on the first step of her career.
And Janet is an unmarried mother.
If Janet's parents had planned their family
and spent more love and care on their children,
this would never have happened.
We must think of the future and our children's future
in particular.
A planned family is not only good for the parents.
In the end, it helps the children,
who are given all the care and attention and education
which they need to make their way in the world.
[Music]
[Eagle Film Productions Salisbury]
[Tail leader]