Empowering Adolescent Girls through improved access to comprehensive Sexuality Education and Rights-Based quality sexual and reproductive health services in Ghana
Donor
UNICEF Ghana |
Period
June – December 2021 |
Location
Greater Accra and Central regions.
ASK
Results
5729 (comprising 2658 males and 3071 females) community influencers/duty bearers (namely traditional gatekeepers, religious leaders, public local authorities, service providers, parents, caregivers, adolescents, families, and general community members ) reached 42 communities in 7 districts/municipals(1 in Greater Accra Region and 6 in Central Regions of Ghana respectively.
The empowered community influencers gained the needed education and knowledge; and expressed their willingness to create the enabling environment and support for the adolescents to practice healthy sexual behavior. The adolescents themselves expressed their confidence to engage with their parents to discuss SRHR challenges that put them at risk of SGBV, unintended pregnancy, STIs, and school dropouts.
Situation Problem
In Ghana, religious, cultural, social norms, practices and attitudes have created a culture of silence and barriers for the adolescents especially girls, between 10-19 years to realize their full sexual and reproductive health and rights and overcome gender inequalities. Community influencers (traditional gatekeepers, religious leaders, public local authorities, service providers, parents, caregivers, families, community members) are often unable and/or unwilling to offer relevant SRHR support education, knowledge and skills for adolescents, especially girls which exposes them to numerous vulnerabilities including child marriage and teenage pregnancy, unsafe abortion, STIs including HIV, sexual and gender-based violence, various health risks which negatively impact their educational and economic pursuits including their overall health and well-being. |
Response Solution
TfSC adopted a five-step approach of
Initial stakeholder engagements;
Project baseline survey;
community focus group discussions;
Training of community volunteers and
TfSC adopted a five-step approach of
initial stakeholder engagements;
project baseline survey;
community focus group discussions;
training of community volunteers and
community interactive theatre (drama) performance by civil engagement and dialogue to co-create and own the process.
This empowered community influencers/duty bearers with the appropriate information and education on adolescents’ gender and SRHR issues to enable themĺ to support adolescent girls especially to make informed choices and exercise agency community interactive theatre (drama) performance by civil engagement and dialogue to co-create and own the process.
This empowered community influencers/duty bearers with the appropriate information and education on adolescents’ gender and SRHR issues to enable themĺ to support adolescent girls especially to make informed choices and exercise agency.