By Opesika Tetteh Puplampu
Ada, Sept. 29, GNA -Jetse Developmental Foundation (JDF) has organized a three-day community empowerment programme for about 150 girls in Ada, with education on personal health, safety, relationships and planning.
The maiden “Making Ada Girls Great” programme, held at the Ada Technical Institute, brought together girls between the ages of 11 and 19, facilitators and other stakeholders.
The programme covered topics including self-confidence and self-esteem, personal hygiene and menstrual health, sexual and reproductive health, healthy relationships, teenage pregnancy sexually transmitted infections.
Participants were also educated on recognizing unsafe situations, abuse and exploitation, and how to seek help, report concerns and speak up when they encounter situations that threatened their safety.
Sessions on mental and emotional wellbeing addressed managing emotions, coping with pressure, dealing with challenges and disappointments, and developing a positive mindset, while discussions on peer pressure focused on making responsible decisions.
The programme further included education on Ada’s culture and practical first aid lessons, including placing an unconscious person in the recovery position and seeking emergency assistance.
Nene Tekpetey Dada Tettey-Ga V, Chief of Ada-Foah, who chaired the programme, delivered a special message to the participants, while Naana Kabukuor Dagodzo Dumaaley I, Paramount Queen Mother of Ada, also addressed the girls.
Madam Christiana Sikayo Kabukuor Osifodoe, Executive Director of JDF, said the community empowerment programme would be organized annually, with plans to extend it beyond girls to include boys.
“We need to be more strategic going forward,” she indicated and called on development partners to join hands with the foundation to support initiatives aimed at improving opportunities for young people in Ada.
She said the foundation believed that sustained investment in young people was necessary to support their development and contribute to the future progress of the Ada community.
GNA
Edited by Laudia Anyorkor Nunoo/Bertha Badu-Agyei/Kenneth Odeng Adade
Reporter: Opesika Tetteh Puplampu,