Adolescents have been urged to treat their teenage years with caution, with adolescence being compared to ‘an egg’ that can crack instantly from a single mistake. 

This came up during an engagement with adolescent boys and girls at Ave-Dakpa in the Akatsi North District under the project, ‘The Clinic Is Yours,’ an open day clinic, to invite adolescents and the youth to visit health facilities for free access to youth-friendly services.  

It was organised by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the UN’s sexual and reproductive health agency in collaboration with the Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG), which is also a leading volunteer-supported non-governmental organisation, focused on providing comprehensive Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) information and services to young people in Ghana. 

Madam Rosemary Addeh, the Midwife and In-charge of the Ave-Dakpa Health Centre, who facilitated the engagement, said adolescence was a period of rapid physical and brain development between childhood and adulthood, typically spanning the ages between 10 and 19, involving the search for social independence. 

“Adolescence really is as fragile as an egg, and a single mistake can alter a young person’s future instantly.”  

She explained that curiosity, peer pressure, and the desire to fit in made teenagers vulnerable and that the “egg once broken” by a crisis such as an unplanned pregnancy, the effects on a young person’s education, health and future were difficult to reverse. 

The session highlighted the physical, mental, and social toll of teenage pregnancy, with other health risks cited including anaemia, malnutrition, early labour, and low birth-weight babies, because of immature physical development.  

She said mentally, young mothers faced stress, depression and stigma, while socially many dropped out of school and faced long-term financial hardship. 

To “handle the egg safely,” adolescents were advised to practice open communication with parents, seek comprehensive reproductive health education, set clear life goals, and build self- esteem to resist risky situations.

“When you access phone, use it for something profitable not pornographic materials. Also, access youth-friendly services. Get close to health workers on any information on SRHR, do not ask around to be deceived or misinformed as that can land you in trouble,” Madam Addeh advised. 

Mr Delali Alex Dwomoh, the Physician Assistant and In-charge of Ave-Dakpa Health Centre, also addressed the group, assuring adolescents that health workers would not judge them. 

“Take whatever you were told seriously. We will not be judgmental but will help you as young people to reach your full potential,” he assured them.   

Mr Emmanuel Christopher Makam, the PPAG focal person for UNFPA Adolescent Girls Empowerment Project and Gender-based Violence Scale Up project for Volta Region, said the engagement formed part of ongoing efforts to equip adolescents with knowledge and support systems to navigate adolescence safely.–GNA

Children playing in or around water without proper supervision and safety measures can turn a joyful moment into a tragedy within seconds, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has warned.

According to UNICEF, drowning remains one of the 10 leading causes of death among people aged between one and 24 years globally, with children under the age of five facing the greatest risk.

This was contained in a statement to commemorate the World Drowning Prevention Day, which is marked annually on July 25 to strengthen global and national efforts to reduce drowning.

In Ghana alone, an estimated 1,100 people lose their lives through drowning every year, representing about three deaths each day, with children and young adults accounting for the majority of the victims.

Describing drowning as largely preventable, UNICEF urged parents, caregivers and communities to make child safety around water a priority by taking simple but lifesaving precautions.

The agency encouraged parents and community members to learn Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and basic water rescue skills to enable them to respond quickly during emergencies without putting themselves at risk.

UNICEF also stressed that no child should be left unattended in, on or around water, warning parents against relying on older siblings or other adults to supervise young children.

It advised caregivers to keep children within arm’s reach at all times and avoid distractions, such as mobile phones or conversations.

The agency further recommended the installation of barriers such as fences around swimming pools, ponds and other water bodies, covering wells and water containers, emptying buckets and portable pools after use, and ensuring bathroom doors and toilet lids remain closed when not in use.

For older children, UNICEF advised parents to enrol them in swimming and water safety lessons, while reminding caregivers never to leave infants and toddlers alone during bath time, even for a few moments.

Meanwhile at launch of the PROTECT Technical Package in Accra last Thursday, World Health Organisation (WHO) decried  the drowning menace as one of the world’s most neglected yet preventable public health  and development challenges.

PROTECT Technical Package is a global policy framework aimed at accelerating efforts to reduce drowning as a major public health threat.              

The Deputy Minister for the Interior, Mr Ebenezer Okletey Terlabi, said the government was enhancing water rescue training and emergency response, swift water rescue, boat handling, resuscitation and incident management.

The WHO Representative to Ghana, Dr Fiona Braka, said about 300,000 people died from drowning globally each year with more than 90 per cent of the deaths occurring in low and middle-income countries.

 She attributed the cause of drowning to poverty, rapid urbanisation, and inadequate water safety measures, increasing reliance on water for transport and livelihoods and climate change.

By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu