ARHR trains 30 adolescents on sexual health rights in Ho

Alliance for Reproductive Health Rights (ARHR), a Non-Governmental Organization with focus on health has trained 30 adolescents from some communities in the Volta Region on their sexual health rights.

The communities are Kpeve, Peki Adzokoe, Peki Tsame, Peki Avetile and Peki Dzake all in the South Dayi District.

The three day exercise, which was in partnership with Volta Educational Renaissance Foundation (VEReF was to train out of school adolescent girls to educate their peers on their health rights.

Dr. Deodat Adenutsi, Executive Director, VEReF, said the exercise was to empower the girls through improved access to a comprehensive sexual health to curb the stigma most adolescent girls suffer, when accessing services from health providers.

He said the trainees would act as peer educators to create safe avenues for adolescent girls within their communities.

Dr. Adenutsi cautioned the trainees to be circumspect and treat information from people, who sought their counsel on matters of sexual health, as confidential to earn the trust of their peers.

He said ARHR and VEReF had also trained some women groups between the ages of 25 and 45, who would act as community facilitators to handle issues that were beyond the adolescent champions.

Dr. Adenutsi said the Foundation was also giving the girls vocational skills training and encouraging other out of school girls to further their education.

Madam Doris Ampong, Communications Officer, ARHR, urged parents to be receptive to their adolescent girls and guard against negative peer pressure.

She said women, children, and adolescents were the most vulnerable in society and that they were the target of the programme being enrolled by her outfit.

She identified poverty as the main driver of teenage pregnancies and urged stakeholders to support girls with needed information about their sexual health.

The adolescent sexual health rights project is funded by the United Nations Populations Fund (UNFPA).