Be Ambassadors to Eliminate Teenage Pregnancy- Artisans Told

About one hundred twenty young people selected from two Municipal and District Assemblies in the Bono East Region have received training on reproductive health and gender-responsive issues to equip their social lives.

The National Youth Authority (NYA) in collaboration with the various Assemblies and funded by the United Nations Population Fund Agency (UNFPA) and Global Affairs-Canada selected about 120 youth groups in Artisans, Seamstress, tailors, hairdressers, and mechanics and educated them on their rights on gender responsiveness matters, sex and gender-based violence among other things.

The training is focused on equipping young people with information on their own reproductive lives and how they could become responsible adults for the purpose of their future development and as well be ambassadors for teenage pregnancy in their localities.

The program dubbed, sustaining the Gains in Responsible Youth Behavior through Gender –Responsive, Sexual, and Reproductive Health Education has been implemented in the Techiman, Nkoransa, Pru, and Kintampo municipal and districts.

Madam Fati Bamba, Regional Director at the National Youth Authority in charge of Bono, Bono East, and Ahafo Regions noted that about 30 young people were benefiting from the training and would intern go to impact it into their colleagues.

Madam Bamba said the training was basically to alert the youth on the dangers of irresponsible young life such as teenage pregnancy, drug abuse, and recalcitrant way of life.

She indicated that based on feasibility studies in the program implemented areas revealed negative consequences on the procreative health of young people in the selected district and that there has been a high rate of teenage pregnancy and social prosecution and this has over the years affected the wellbeing of young people in these areas.

She mentioned that to empower the youth economically, the program has again introduced a skilled acquisition module to provide training in the manufacturing of detergents, soap, makeups such as manicure and pedicure, pestering and hairdressing among other things for young people to improve on their livelihood conditions.

Madam Bamba at the training session reminded the young people of the vital role they could play in society when they are able to nurture themselves to become responsible adults, adding that if one could not abstain or control the sexual ambitions there is always the need to protect one’s self through the use of condoms and other contraceptives.

She advised that as they have been trained on teenage pregnancies and their related issues, they should be ambassadors to eliminate them from Ghanaian society.

Mr. George Padmore Mensah Chief Coordinating at the Bono East Region on the other hand noted that the program was aimed at reducing or at all prevent teenage pregnancy in the region as it was the major threat to the development of the youth in the area.

Mr. Mensah said the Coordinating Council was committed to championing the eradication of the danger which has over years washed-out the eminence of human resources through early marriage, teenage pregnancy, and drug abuse among others.

He mentioned that a working plan has been introduced to strategies ways to strengthen young people and making them focused and being conscious on their reproductive lives, adding that it would be proactive for the youth to be mindful of the consequences of bad social vices as it could rule their lives and make them unproductive in society.

Esther Ner-Ano, Bono Region