ARHR introduces reproductive health education in Nzema East

The Alliance for Reproductive Health Rights (ARHR) with support from the UNFPA and Canada Project Objectives has launched a Reproductive Health project in Nzema East of the Western Region to implement strategies that would improve upon the lives of adolescents.

The project dubbed "Empowering Adolescent Girls through Improved Access to Reproductive Health Information and Services and Quality Gender-responsive Services" is aimed at empowering adolescent girls by providing them with education on their reproductive health, information on sexual and Gender-Based Violence prevention and linking them to health facilities for services.

It would also create the platforms for them to participate in health decision making and as well as equip them with legal literacy skills.

Also, more health professionals would build their capacity to provide quality youth-friendly and gender-sensitive Sexual and Reproductive Health services to the adolescent.

Mr Nii Ankonu Annorbah-Sarpei, Programme Director of the Alliance for Reproductive Health Rights said ultimately, more adolescent girls would be empowered to exercise their rights on sexual reproductive health.

He was speaking during an inception and orientation meeting on the project at Axim.

The project, he said would directly target out-of-school female adolescents between the ages of 10-19 years, marginalized and disadvantaged girls, particularly those with disabilities.

Mr Annorbah-Sarpei said already, sensitization programmes on gender-responsive topics relating to Sexual Reproductive Health among 5,000 adolescent girls has been undertaken with 2,000 adolescent girls referred for facility and outreach contraceptive services through girls' and young people's peer networks and community mobilization programmes.

Also, 25 girls with disabilities have been trained on Sexual Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) and legal literacy.

The programme director said it was important to help young people know about their reproductive health and to contribute to achieving the SDGs by 2030.

"We will continue to churn out a programme that provides young people with age-appropriate, culturally relevant and scientifically accurate information and skills that promote their health and development", he added.

Mr Annorbah-Sarpei added that the beneficiaries were nurtured to have positive attitudes and values such as open-mindedness, respect for self and others, having a sense of responsibility with regards to SRHR.

Established in 2004, the Alliance for Reproductive Health Rights (ARHR) is a national Ghanaian NGO made up of various groups and organizations working on reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health (RMNCAH) issues.

He stated that through advocacy, capacity-building and evidence generation, ARHR works to protect the rights and interest of poor and disadvantaged Ghanaian populations, particularly, women of reproductive age, newborns and young people at national and sub-national levels.

The ARHR employs a rights-based approach in its programmes aimed at empowering communities, especially women of reproductive age and young people to realise their SRH rights and to demand protection, prevention and mitigation of abuses, and the provision of quality services.