Ghana YMCA, YMCA of Greater Toronto, aimed at focusing on reducing prevalence and incidence of teenage pregnancies The Municipal Chief Executive of New Juaben, Dr. Kwaku Owusu Acheampong, described the project initiated by the YMCA as laudable which is in line with government’s agenda of empowering the young people with requisite practical skills to become independent and live descent lives. He noted that government is therefore prepared to create the needed enabling environment for non-governmental organisations (NGO’s) with this brilliant initiative to fight the menace of teenage pregnancy in our society. Dr Owusu Acheampong, noted that the Regional Directorate of the Department of Children under the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, in collaboration with the various Departments and Agencies of the committee would embark on vigorous sensitization and education in communities. He said the Eastern Regional Multi-Sectorial Committee on Children, has therefore called on the District Assemblies to enforce the bye-laws on education, parental neglect and responsibilities to halt the trend. The National President of YMCA, Kwame Gyimah Akwafo, said the programme is on a pilot bases in the New Juaben Municipality and will be extended to other communities afterwards. He said the project has boys inclusive to make both partners aware of their actions. Mr Gyimah Akwafo stressed that, the sustainability of the project is key and has necessitated making the children peer educators to enhance effective dissemination of the message. The second phase of the project, he said, seeks to include parents and opinion leaders to intensify sex education. Mr Gyimah Akwafo promised YMCA’s readiness with the Ministry of Gender to help children in case of any eventualities. The Executive Director of YMCA Ghana, Kwabena Nketia Addae, stressed that if policy makers, traditional authorities and other relevant institutions do not introduce serious interventions aimed at reversing the trend, efforts at promoting the physical, social and psychological welfare of the girl child will be adversely affected, because facts on the ground indicate that worse figures of teenage motherhood in the country are yet to be recorded. The initiative is a collaborative project between the Ghana YMCA and the YMCA of Greater Toronto, aimed at focusing on reducing the prevalence and incidence of teenage pregnancies through educational campaign targeting boys and girls of 19years and younger mostly in JHS. The programme GBC/DT MORE will be rolled in selective schools where teachers have undergone training for this purpose. A teacher of Effiduase Methodist JHS, Susana Osafo, applauded YMCA for their initiative and added that, as a mother, she has been greatly empowered to understand and deal with the girl child to produce effective communication. Madam Osafo said the three-day capacity building workshop took them through various stages of prevention and causes of teenage pregnancy. A 17 year old pupil of Adweso-Mile 50 MA Basic School, Hagar Dejortey, expressed her joy in the knowledge derived and said it has made her bold to talk about such issues with her peers and teachers due to their availability. The programme has made her understand the stages of human development from childhood to adulthood before having children. They are to complete school, get a job and get married. Pupils were given souvenirs bearing teenage pregnancy inscriptions such as books and stickers, among others. Statistics from the Ghana Education Service (GES) indicates that, a total of 13,520 students between the ages of 12 and 15 got pregnant in the Eastern Region last year. The New Juaben Municipality recorded 615 out of 9,960 enrolments of girls while the Nsawam-Adoagyiri District followed with 900 out of 4,771. The New Juaben Municipal Chief Executive, Dr.Kwaku Owusu Acheampong, uncovered this at the official launch of "Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Campaign" in Koforidua. The programme is an initiative of the Young Men Christian Association (YMCA) of Ghana. GBC