News
PPAG, UNFPA engage adolescents on sexual, reproductive health
The Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG), in partnership with the UNFPA, has organised a targeted sexual and reproductive health (SRH) education programme for adolescent boys and girls living with disabilities in the Anloga District of the Volta Region.
The engagement, held after Christmas at the Anloga District Assembly Hall, formed part of efforts to reach vulnerable adolescents who are often excluded from mainstream sexual and reproductive health education and interventions.
The programme featured a series of educational discussions and interactive sessions, during which health professionals and facilitators engaged participants on the prevention of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), sexual and reproductive rights, family planning methods, and strategies for preventing teenage pregnancy.
The initiative is part of a broader project jointly implemented by PPAG and UNFPA, which seeks to equip young and wise adolescent clubs and disability schools with practical knowledge to enable them to make informed life choices, safeguard their health, and contribute meaningfully to youth-led change within their communities.
According to the organisers, adolescents living with disabilities were frequently marginalised in sexual and reproductive health programming, despite being equally vulnerable to abuse, misinformation, and health risks.
The project was therefore carefully and deliberately designed to address this gap by ensuring inclusive access to accurate and age-appropriate SRH information.
Madam Gloria Agbofa, a Public Health Nurse at the Anloga District Health Directorate, while delivering the health education, advised participants to refrain from behaviours that could expose them to sexually transmitted infections. She further cautioned against unsafe and illegal abortion practices, explaining that such actions could lead to serious health complications and long-term consequences.
Madam Agbofa also educated participants on how to seek guidance from health professionals, properly access and use available family planning methods, and warned adolescent girls against the misuse of emergency contraceptive pills, stressing the importance of responsible and informed decision-making.
Mr. Christopher Makam, the Volta Regional Focal Person for the project, in explaining the rationale behind the choice of target group, told the Ghana News Agency that the initiative was intentionally structured to reach those most often overlooked.
“Most of the time, we engage adolescents in these educational activities but skip the most vulnerable. This project deliberately targets adolescents living with disabilities to equip them with information on sexual and reproductive health, sexually transmitted infections, and related issues, so they can become agents of change and help mitigate the rising trends in these challenges,” Mr. Makam said.
The programme was attended by a cross-section of boys and girls aged between 12 and 19 years, living with various forms of disabilities. Participants expressed appreciation for the initiative, describing it as informative, empowering, and relevant to their personal development and well-being.
The organisers said they remain committed to inclusive health education, noting that leaving no adolescent behind remains central to achieving improved sexual and reproductive health outcomes at the community level. –GNA
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Troubled and anxious citizens in Damongo of the Savannah Region have expressed concerns about the number of young people, believed to be under the age of 18, involved in ‘shisha’ smoking in pubs and drinking spots within the township.
Eyewitnesses say the minors were seen patronising nightlife venues, where Shisha smoking happen in the open.
The situation has sparked renewed public concern over the enforcement of child protection laws and regulations governing the operations of entertainment centres in the municipality and country as a whole.
An eyewitness, who spoke to The Spectator on conditions of anonymity for security reasons, noted that the situation was becoming increasingly common.
“This is not a one-off incident. It is becoming very common, but residents like us cannot openly report or speak about it because our lives will be at risk,” he said.
Under Ghanaian law, minors were prohibited from patronising Shisha.
Public health experts have consistently warned that shisha use exposes users to harmful substances that can negatively affect brain development, respiratory health, and overall well-being, particularly among young people.
The residents believe the alleged incidents point to broader challenges relating to youth supervision, substance abuse, and weak enforcement of existing regulations and have called on municipal authorities, security agencies, and regulatory bodies to intensify monitoring of pubs and entertainment centres to ensure compliance with the law.
In an effort to address the menace, Mr Salisu Be-Awurbi, the Savannah Regional Minister, has led public education campaigns, engaged security agencies, and supported enforcement actions to address the rising use of illicit substances in the region.
Wura Kelly Seidu Boresah I, the Chief of Damongo, has also called on all stakeholders including parents, community leaders, institutions, and young people to actively support efforts to curb drug abuse, warning that the rising consumption of hard drugs poses a serious health threat to the future of the youth in the Savannah Region.
He also cautioned individuals involved in the sale and distribution of illicit drugs to immediately desist from the practice, stressing that offenders will face arrest and prosecution in accordance with the law.
From Geoffrey Buta, Damongo, Savannah Region
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Dr Theresa Baffour, an advocate for ending violence and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SAHM SAHW Foundation, has said that society plays a critical and pivotal role in breaking the cycle of domestic violence.
According to her, domestic violence is a major contributor of making women, who are mostly the victims, mentally derailed and unable to engage in economic activities.
She said this when the foundation called on the Ga Mantse, Nii Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, to solicit support for the initiative by the “Strong and Healthy Minds, Strong and Healthy Women” (SAHM SAHW) to combat domestic violence within the Ga State.
The visit was occasioned by the fact that domestic violence cases have become quite prevalent in the Ga communities and is retarding growth.
According to her, the canker was an impediment to national development because the victims were usually tortured and would have to go through series of therapies to return to the right state of mind.
Dr Baffour mentioned that Gender-Based Violence (GBV) places a mental toll on women, and was, therefore, important to break the cycle through comprehensive mental health support, crisis intervention and empowerment programmes in communities with high rates of GBV.
This intervention, she underscored, would help in empowering the denigrated victim of domestic violence to soundly heal, build and thrive.
Dr Baffour added that the initiative would provide holistic, trauma-informed mental health care and advocacy for young women affected by domestic violence.
According to her, the above statement would create safe spaces for healing and equipping them with entrepreneurial skills for renewed hope and empowered life.
The Ga Mantse pledged his support for the laudable initiative to combat domestic violence and also acknowledged the need to address it in the Ga State.
Further endorsement came from Justice Julia Naa-Yarley Adjei Amoah, Chief of Staff at the Office of the Ga Mantse, as she commended the team of SAHM SAHW Foundation for taking a bold step to end the canker in the Greater Accra.
She added that it was a step in the right direction to save vulnerable women from torture, stress and emotional abuse.
By Alfred Nii Arday Ankrah
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