Resource Persons on Gender Sensitive Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health (ASRH) have received training dubbed: ‘Time with Grandma’ to assist in reducing teen pregnancies in the Central Region.

Participants were selected from six districts in the Region: Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem, Hemang-Lower-Denkyira, Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam, Ekumfi, Upper Denkyira West and Assin South.

They were equipped with skills to educate adolescent girls on the effects of teen pregnancy.

‘Time with Grandma’ is a drama series, which is aired on radio or acted at theatres and community centres to educate the youth on reproductive health issues.

It is facilitated by the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and supported by the United Nation Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA).

Madam Sarah Sackey, the Central Regional Public Health Director, said the training had been designed to ensure that teen pregnancies were reduced in the beneficiary districts to the barest minimum.

She said surveys indicated that large numbers of girls who became pregnant were from the selected districts and, therefore, the GHS needed to intensify awareness on the issue and its implications.

The targeted groups are the youth from low-income backgrounds who would be educated on how to prevent teen pregnancy, using theatre arts in schools and community centres where teenagers were usually found.

Madam Sackey noted that the intervention was related to the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Three, which aimed at ensuring healthy lives and promoting the well-being of the youths.

Stakeholders were expected to implement the programme at the end of the training in their various districts to help the adolescents get over those challenges.

Madam Beatrice Asirifi, the Deputy Regional Public Health Director, appealed to parents to provide the needs of their girls during and after menstruation to help avoid being lured by some unscrupulous men.

She said improper hygiene during menstruation brought about repeated infections, which could affect the girls in the future, and advised them to maintain proper personal hygiene at all times.

Madam Asirifi said all the districts in the Central Region had similar challenges regarding teen pregnancy because of misinformation and parents and guardians shunning discussions on reproductive health matters.

She urged parents and all stakeholders to contribute to educating their children on menstruation and pregnancy to help them deal with the misconceptions.