‘Re-integrate teenage mothers into schools’

The Central Regional representative of this season’s Ghana’s Most Beautiful (GMB) competition, Ms Sophia Bondzie has pledged her commitment to deal with teenage pregnancy issues which is predominant in the region, especially along the coast.

She said though, she has been evicted from the competition, she still stands by her project to avert the anomaly in the Cape Coast Metropolis, referred to as the “hub of education”.

BB, as she affectionately called, made this known when she visited Ghana News Agency in Cape Coast to share her experience about the competition. She noted that it is unfortunate that Cape Coast has the best schools, both second cycle and tertiary, yet teenagers, especially along the coastal areas are not taking advantage of that.

She said although she is not a native of Cape Coast but she long harboured the desire to help teenage mothers during her school days at Cape Coast Polytechnic.

BB said she was not disappointed despite her eviction because she did her best in the competition and advocated that teenage mothers be re-integrated into the classroom to secure them a better future.

She demonstrated her preparedness to kick start her quest immediately she completes her examinations at a professional institution in Takoradi within the next two weeks.

Her plans was to bring on board all stakeholders including Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG), the Metropolitan Assembly, Department of Women and Children, non-governmental organisations, donors, philanthropists, individuals and the media to exert their authority to press home her demand.

Also key on her agenda, she noted, was to help re-enforce sex education in schools, communities, social gatherings, churches and mosques to inculcate discipline and self-control in the youth.

BB said poverty as an affront to teenage pregnancy and called on government, traditional authorities, civil society and all inhabitants in Cape Coast to assist with social interventions to help create jobs.

She said her greatest disappointment, she identified was that people did not vote for her because she was not a native of Cape Coast, wondering if her performance at the competition did not go down well with her admirers.

“During the Afahye durbar, someone approached me to find out whether I was a native of Cape Coast before he could vote for me,” saying she found the situation very unfortunate because she was representing the region, and not Cape Coast. “Some also insinuated I am not beautiful,” she opined, stressing that physical beauty alone was not a factor in the competition but a command over one’s culture and traditions.

Asked about her most memorable experience in the competition, BB said her first regional presentation which included education, the naming system, and the tourism potentials in the Central Region won her the star performance for the night, but coincidently that was the very day that she was evicted.

Her worst and embarrassing moment, she declared was during the fashion night on the 4th week when the heel of one of her shoes got stuck in the wooden stage, stalling her movement briefly, but acted fast to overcome the situation by taking off both shoes to the admiration of the judges and viewers.

On which contestant she was placing her bet on to win the Season Eight competition, BB said 80 per cent of the ballot depended on voting, with only 20 per cent on the judges, and so tipped any of the last four contestants to win because according to her they are all doing fantastic.

Wishing all women well on the occasion of the International Women’s Day which fell on Wednesday, October 15, the GMB Central Regional contestant advised women to desire education and place value on themselves.

BB said she now sees herself as a tool for change, urging all women to influence the world with their God given power.