By James Esuon, GNA
Kokoso (C/R), Nov 02, GNA- The Akoben Royal Foundation, a breast cancer and menstrual hygiene awareness advocacy group has organised a sensitisation programme to educate adolescent schoolgirls and women at Breman Kokoso on the dangers of cancers and its preventive measures to curb the spread of the disease.
The programme well attended by Queenmothers, chiefs, women’s groups, traders, farmers and school children from Breman Kokoso in the Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa District, had more than 100 women screened.
Nana Kweku Kumi I, Sanaahene of Agona Duakwa said the month of October had been set aside worldwide to create awareness on breast cancer and educate women on the dangers and prevention of the disease.
The CEO said early detection of the disease could save lives, stressing that the disease was not spiritual or a curse and so they should not rush to prayer camps when they found something unusual in their breasts, but go to the nearest medical facility to seek treatment.
On menstrual hygiene, Nana Kumi cautioned school girls not to ask men and young boys for money to buy menstrual pads, to avert unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections.
Nana Kumi urged the girls to take their menstrual hygiene very seriously to reduce body odour and infections.
On the provision of free sanitary pads to school girls, the CEO lauded the government for the policy and asked parents, particularly fathers to buy pads for their daughters to protect them from unscrupulous men.
Nana Kumi urged District Assemblies and Parliamentarians to provide at least one decent bathroom at every basic school in the districts for adolescent girls to change pads during menstruation.
The Sanaahene cautioned teachers who sexually abused girls to stop that behaviour before the laws of the country caught up and dealt with them.
More than 500 pads were distributed to the girls who attended the programme.
Ms Sabina Aba Wilson, the Acting District Director of Education for Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa praised the Akoben Royal Foundation for the sensitisation programme for both schoolgirls and women on the prevention and dangers of breast cancer.
She warned male teachers to desist from sexually abusing schoolgirls because the code of conduct of the Ghana Education Service (GES) prohibited such misconducts and any teacher caught in such nefarious acts would be dismissed from the Service.
She urged the girls to study and score best aggregates to help gain admission to best SHSs in Ghana.
Nana Ahenkora V, Krontihene of Breman Kokoso appealed to the Akoben Royal Foundation not to make the programme a permanent feature to help reduce teenage pregnancy cases and breast cancer among women at Breman Kokoso and adjoining communities to improve the health of the women.
GNA
Edited by Alice Tettey /Kenneth Odeng Adade