Some of the stakeholders in a brainstorming discussion during the inception meeting
About 20,000 adolescent girls will soon be receiving comprehensive sexuality education with about 5,000 able to access sexual reproductive health services under the ‘Empowering Adolescent Girls Through Improved Access to Comprehensive Sexuality Education’ (CSE) and ‘Right-Based Quality Sexual & Reproductive Health’ (SRH) services in Ghana project.
The five-year project to be implemented by the Alliance for Reproductive Health Rights (ARHR) with funding from UNFPA and Canada seeks to contribute to the empowerment of adolescent girls between the ages of 10-19 who are out of school, as well as 300 adolescent girls with disability in the Ahiedu Keteke Sub-District in the Accra Metro, Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem and Nzema East Municipality.
The programmes officer of the project, Nii Ankonu Annobrah-Sarpei, explained that studies done by the UNFPA revealed that the target beneficiary communities have extensive issues of abuse and high teenage pregnancy and are, therefore, identified as hotspots to begin intervention and attitudinal change
“We are working with health providers, community-based organisations, district officials and community members to able to reach these young girls. We hope to ensure that they have literacy skills and literacy issues related to their sexual rights, what the law says able to access, and report abuses, negotiate for sex, as well as provide them information on how to keep themselves,” he stated.
Mr. Sarpei said the project would also help build capacity of young girls and equip them with skills to be able to prevent sexual and gender-based violence and articulate their rights of sexuality and prevent instances of abuse that are prevalent in the various societies.
He indicated that the project would achieve its aim by linking female adolescents to health providers at adolescent-friendly health centres in the selected project municipals and metropolis.
The first phase of the project is currently being implemented in the Accra Metropolis.
Sexuality education is a comprehensive programme that provides young people with age-appropriate, culturally relevant and scientifically accurate information that promotes their health and development.
By Abigail Owiredu-Boateng