A group picture of adolescents and team from UNFPA

 Information sharing and education of adolescents on Sexual and Reproduc­tion Health (SRH) at Duong, a community in the Nadowli Kaleo District of the Upper West Region has become ef­fective due to the formation of adolescent health clubs in the area and the provision of a centre for discourse.

Hitherto, the community used to record high incidence of teenage pregnancies, early marriage or cohabitation and school dropout cases, making the community members and leaders worried as they sought for permanent ways to curb the situation.

But with the support of the United Nations Population Fund, (UNFPA) on its 8th Coun­try Project, the Regional Focal Person for Reproductive Health who doubles as queen mother for the area, Pognaa Rosemary Bangzie, mobilised the young people into health clubs to educate them on SRH, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV), among others.

The youth were consti­tuted into two in-school and two out-of-school health clubs with each having membership of not less than 50 persons between the ages of 11 and 25 years.

Pognaa Bangzie during a monitoring visit by the UN­FPA team to Duong told the Spectator that the groups met once every month to discuss issues that bothered on repro­ductive health and preventing unwanted pregnancies through abstinence or the use of safe family planning methods.

She said the adolescent health corner was included in the health facility she acquired for the community to accom­modate health staff because the youth needed privacy to be able to consult on SRH and get the needed attention.

“This facility was made possible through benevolent persons and the USAID/Office of Transitions Initiative (USAID/ OTI) but we will need more support to furnish the place for use by the staff of the health centre and the youth as well”, she appealed.

A member of the club, 17 years old Ignatius Wienaah stated that with the provision of a permanent adolescent centre for SRH issues, adoles­cents in the community were better placed to protect their adolescence and pursue their heart felt goals.

A 16-year-old craftsman apprentice, Dorcas Tooresong said through the adolescent health clubs and discussions, she has learnt to abstain from pre-marital sex and also main­tain good menstrual hygiene.

She explained that the girls were taken through the use of the reusable sanitary pads and how to keep themselves tidy.

A health worker, Patience Adzaho who has been work­ing with the adolescents at the health corners expressed excitement about the provi­sion of the adolescent corner through the initiative of the queen mother and said it had boost services to adolescents and seen more adolescents patronising the facility.

“They no longer have to mix up with the older peo­ple and make them awkward coming to us to discuss their reproductive health needs; this structure provides them with the needed privacy for whatever discussion they want to engage on,” she said.

The National Programme Officer for Gender at the UNFPA, Mr Bawa Faisal com­mended the community for their dedication to the welfare of young people.

 From Lydia Darlington Fordjour, Wa