By Michael Foli Jackidy, GNA
Ho (V/R), Oct. 23, GNA – Madam Lily Asamoah, a Senior Programme Officer at the Complementary Education Agency (CEA), has called for increased support for out-of-school adolescents and young people to help them navigate the challenges of adolescence.
She said many young people needed appropriate guidance and information to make informed decisions about their reproductive health and personal well-being.
Madam Asamoah made the call in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) during a two-day capacity-building programme for out-of-school club leaders in the Volta Region, organised by the CEA in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
The training sought to equip the participants with knowledge and practical skills to educate their peers on sexual and reproductive health and rights, teenage pregnancy prevention, drug abuse, parenting, communication, decision-making and gender-based violence (GBV).
Madam Asamoah said the initiative was intended to empower youth and adolescent club leaders to provide guidance and support to out-of-school adolescents in their communities.
She explained that adolescents experienced significant physical and emotional changes and could make harmful decisions without adequate support from parents, peers and trusted adults.
She expressed concern about teenage pregnancy and its potential consequences for the health and well-being of young people, particularly girls.
She said some adolescents faced the risk of resorting to unsafe abortions and unprescribed medications when confronted with unintended pregnancies, potentially resulting in serious health complications and death.
Madam Asamoah called for sustained financial support from the government and development partners to intensify reproductive health education and community sensitisation programmes.
She urged sexually active adolescents to practise safer sex, including the correct and consistent use of condoms to help prevent unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections.
She also appealed to parents, religious bodies, traditional authorities, opinion leaders and the media to support efforts to educate and protect young people.
Mr Samuel Atsu Klu, Volta Regional Director of the CEA, said the training provided an opportunity to strengthen the participants’ knowledge and skills in reproductive health education, gender equality and GBV prevention.
He said out-of-school club leaders played a critical role in creating safe and supportive spaces where adolescents could learn, ask questions and make informed decisions.
Mr Klu urged the participants to actively engage in the sessions and apply the knowledge acquired in their respective communities.
He expressed appreciation to UNFPA for its partnership and continued support towards promoting adolescent well-being and empowerment.
Ms Dorothy Yayra Anthonio, a resource person from the Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG) and facilitator of the training, said the participants were being equipped to educate other young people on sexual and reproductive health and rights, drug abuse, parenting, communication and decision-making.
She said the participants were expected to become ambassadors of reproductive health education, beginning with themselves before extending the knowledge to their peers.
Ms Anthonio called for increased funding and more frequent training programmes to reach additional young people, particularly those in underserved communities.
Some participants who spoke to the GNA described the training as insightful, saying it had broadened their understanding of reproductive health, drug abuse, women’s empowerment and the various forms of abuse.
One participant said the programme had helped them understand that GBV affected both women and men, although male victims could be reluctant to report abuse for fear of ridicule.
The participant said the knowledge acquired would be shared with other young people to help them recognise abuse, seek assistance and report cases to the appropriate authorities.
The participants expressed optimism that the training would strengthen reproductive health awareness and efforts to prevent gender-based violence in their communities.
GNA
Edited By: Maxwell Awumah/Kenneth Odeng Adade