The Volta Regional Chapter of the National Youth Authority (NYA), has held a day’s sensitisation workshop on reproductive health education for some youth leaders and policy makers within the Central Tongu District of the Volta Region.
It was in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and was targeted at equipping some youth leaders in the area with the needed knowledge about the dangers associated with teenage pregnancy so they could serve as ambassadors in their communities in order to control the practice.
A total of 35 youth leaders and 15 policy makers were brought together for knowledge acquisition and awareness creation.
It was on the theme, “Sustaining Reproductive Health Education through Effective Youth Participation”.
Mr Yao Semordey, Volta Regional Director of the NYA, in his address during the encounter, said the rate at which teenage pregnancy was moving in the Region was alarming.
He charged parents, adults, assembly members, and other civic groups to provide enough education and guidance for teenagers to desist from early sex, which mostly resulted in teenage pregnancy and premature parenting.
“I urged you to move out there and educate all our youth in the various communities to avoid premature sex, since it has the tendency to destroy the future of our young ones,” he said.
Mr Semordey further said the future of Ghana would not be safe if the lives of future leaders, especially teenage girls, would engage in acts of immorality.
Togbi Akliku Ahorne, the ‘Dufia’ of Mafi Dadoboe-Wute who chaired the programme, stated that parents had a lot to do by giving their children the requisite training.
He called on parents to take full responsibility by educating their children to avoid early sex which leads to teenage pregnancy.
“Monitor what children watch on television, smartphones and even the kind of groups they join,” he added.
Madam Agnes Nyarko, the acting Public Health Nurse at the Adidome District Health Directorate, took participants through the causes, effects and solutions to reduce teenage pregnancy.
This, she said, brought financial burden, lack of education, and others to such victims.
She urged participants to preach the good message to their community members so they could abstain from early sexual activities.
Mr Anthony Calvin Amanor, a participant at the event which was held at the old district assembly hall, expressed optimism of getting the needed results to end the canker.
In attendance were, Togbui Kofi Tutu and Mama Ameha Tutu from Bakpa Traditional area, Mama Amesenu II of Mafi Dadoboe-Wute, Mr Atsu Awayevu, Deputy District Coordinator of the Central Tongu District Assembly, some health workers, assembly members, and heads of institutions among others. GNA
