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Give children basic swimming lessonsproofread …UNICEF urges
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
Medical Doctor and dietician, Dr Bernice Korkor Asare, has urged women to take greater responsibility for their lifestyle choices, particularly their eating habits and levels of physical activity, to help reduce their risk of developing breast cancer.
According to her, although, some breast cancer risk factors, such as family history and certain reproductive factors, may not be within an individual’s control, lifestyle choices offer an opportunity for people to take preventive action.
She made this known during a talk on the topic: “Role of diet in breast cancer prevention” organised by Times Ladies Association of the New Times Corporation, publishers of The Ghanaian Times and The Spectator, in Accra on Thursday.
The event themed “Breast Cancer Awareness- Promoting Early Detection, Healthy Eating and Prevention.” 
She noted that having a risk factor did not automatically mean a person would develop breast cancer, but could increase the likelihood of developing the disease compared with someone without that particular risk factor.
“Having close relatives who have had breast cancer, particularly a mother, sister or daughter, may increase the risk, although not everyone with a family history will develop the disease,” Dr Asare opined. Read More.
By Adizatu K. Munkaila
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A group of compassionate friends from Innovation Gospel Impact last Friday visited the management, teachers and learners of the Street Academy in Accra.
The visit was to interact to get a deeper insight into the operations of the Academy that houses hundreds of street and underprivileged children and find ways to support them.
The team was led by Rev. Dr Isaac Apenteng Yeboah, a former Director for West African Mailbox Club and Director for Prisons Support Foundation, and Rev. Dale Sutherland from Washington DC.
The call, according to the visitors was occasioned by reports about the struggles of the Academy despite the occasional support it enjoys from individuals and some corporate entities.
Briefing them, the Founder and Executive Director of the Academy, Dr Ataa Lartey, thanked them for the concern showed, indicating that “this is a major boost for both teachers and learners; knowing that their plight is known by people outside their premises.”
According Dr Lartey, the Academy had planned to undertake a number of project to enhance teaching and learning and also procure facilities for the children with keen interest in sports but had to shelve those plans for lack of finance.
He told the team that their biggest concerns were the monthly utility bills that takes a toll on their finances.
“We have a piece of land we planned to turn into an astro turf pitch to train the younger ones whose interests lies in making a career out of football, however, we have been unable to commence because there is no money now,” he said.
Dr Lartey expressed gratitude to the teachers who have dedicated their lives to training these children, rather than going for well-paying jobs and hoped that with time, their conditions of engagement would improve.
Moved by the plight of the Academy, the group donated a cash amount of Gh₵3,000 to settle its water bills.
They described as unfortunate the conditions of learners and teachers of the Academy and pledged to continuously support their operations to realize the dream to build a better future for the unfortunate children.
The group offered to support the school with its monthly utility bills, feeding and staff allowance and urged the Academy staff to remain in constant touch with them.
The Street Academy is located at the Accra Art Center and offers brilliant but needy the chance to pursue their educational dreams by enrolling them in public schools with others offered training in sports and cultural activities.
By Spectator Reporter
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