Non-governmental organization, The Shalom Word Foundation, in collaboration with the Central Tongu Ghana education service is organizing a BECE Candidates Seminar on the theme: Declaring War on Teenage Pregnancy in the Central Tongu District.”
The program will host all BECE candidates and sensitise them on causes and prevention of teenage pregnancy.
The event will take place on 21st February, 2019 at the Adidome Senior High School premises whiles another will take place in Mafi Dove on the 5th of March, 2019
Statistics from the Central Tongu District Health Directorate indicates that the district, made up of more than 340 communities with an estimated population of 60,000, recorded 490 cases of teenage pregnancy in 2016.
Also in 2017, a total of 522 cases were recorded, representing 19% of the total number of cases recorded in the entire Volta Region, which is made up of 25 districts.
Speaking with the executive director of the Foundation Ms. Shallom Abla Lumor, said the campaign is necessary to help the BECE candidates for their exams successfully without becoming pregnant like their predecessors.
She added that in order to maintain the girls in school until the exams, the Foundation is soliciting for support to provide 5 packs of sanitary pads each to the girls.
Ms. Lumor also said that, by September, they have planned to raise enough funds to support every BECE girl with 12 sanitary pads to keep them focused in school until they finish their exams.
She said the main cause of teenage pregnancy is poverty.
"Our girls are not pregnant because they don't have a future, but most of them are hungry. Some of them have never used sanitary pads before. Some of them just needed to empowered, motivated and provided for."
When ask what other programs are in place to curb the problem, Ms Lumor said "you see, our little unscientific research shows that the guys in town are very connected and united together, especially the men in Okada business, so it's easy for us to get them sensitised. So we are rolling out sexual health education and HIV/AIDS sensitisation program for the guys as well, so that we can let them help us mitigate this menace."
She continued: "After every sensitisation program, we will give them condoms. That's another way out," she noted.
"We are appealing to organizations and philanthropists to help us with the sanitary pads and the condoms."
A subsequent programme will be held in the Hohoe municipality on the on the 1st March in the collaboration with NASPA and GES.
To help donate, please contact 054 408 7280.
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