Togbe Akliku Ahornui II, chief of Mafi Dadoboe, is determined to curb teenage pregnancy in his community in the Central Tongu District of the Volta Region.
Presently, the district is said to be in the lead in the incidence of teenage pregnancy in the region and Mafi Dodoboe is one of the communities battling with the problem.
A well-known advocate for adolescents’ development, Togbe Ahornui II demonstrates his commitment by spearheading an initiative that promotes parental responsibility and community accountability.
Watch Committees
The initiative involves the setting up of parent groups, called Community Watch Committees to support adolescents’ access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, advocate against harmful cultural and social norms and educate other parents on the rights of children among others.
The watch committees comprise 54 members, mostly parents, from six communities, namely, Mafi Dadoboe, Mafi Klukpo, Alorsekope, Mafi Wute, Tsawula and Mafi Anfoe.
The watch committee concept was initiated after an engagement with the traditional authorities and leaders of the district to garner community support for the United Nations (UN) joint Adolescent Girls Programme (AGP) being implemented in five districts in the Volta Region with the support of Canada.
The AGP, which started in 2018, provides guidance and leadership skills for adolescents to boost assertiveness, positive decision making and positive peer influencing in their communities.
Interaction
In (AGP) an interaction with the Steering Committee of the Adolescent Girls Programme, during a monitoring visit to the Central Tongu District, Togbe Ahornui II noted that the activities of the watch committees had resulted in a reduction in teenage pregnancy in the programme communities.
“Previously, the community was noted for parental irresponsibility which lead to adolescents engaging in all manner of sexual activities, often resulting in unwanted pregnancies among female adolescents.
Currently, the watch committee has imposed a fine on parents of children found loitering at odd hours or engaging in any suspicious activity, “Togbe Ahornui II said.
He indicated however that the operations of the committees had not been without challenges. “Delays by community elders to act on cases reported to them sometimes affect the work of the committees,’ he explained.
Togbe Ahornui II commended the partners of the Adolescent Girls Programme for including the community and urged the watch committee members to play their part by effectively implementing decisions taken for the benefit of the adolescents.
Togbe Akliku Ahornui II, chief of Mafi Dadoboe, (2nd left) chatting with Mr. Niyi Ojuolape, Resident Representative of the United Nations Populaton Fund (UNFPA) (right) Dr. Agnes Kayitankore, Deputy Representative of UNFPA (left) and Dr. Doris Mawuse Aglobitse, (2nd right) a Programme Analyst at UNFPA.
Benefits to community
A 39-year-old mother of five, Ms Eva Agbenyega, is a member of the watch committee. She says her motivation for volunteering as a committee member was the drastic reduction in teenage pregnancy in the communities following the intervention of the watch committees.
She said “the children are now more focused on their education and we are hoping that some of our girls will excel and even become pilots someday.
“In fact, my own children are benefitting from the work of the watch committee so I am also a beneficiary. The fear of my two female children becoming victims of teenage pregnancy is no more. So although I receive no monetary rewards, I am happy I volunteered to do this work,” Ms Agbenyega concluded.
Training
The Volta Regional Director of the Department of Gender of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection Mrs Thywill Eyra Kpe who accompanied the Steering Committee on the visit explained that Mafi Dadoboe was the central point for the operations of the watch committee members, from where they are ably led by Togbe Ahornui II.
Mrs Kpe said to enable the committees to function effectively, the Department of Gender trained the members on the rights of the child, adolescent sexual and reproductive rights, gender-based violence and rights of the child and parental responsibilities.
In addition, she said, the department linked them to the social protection and justice institutions, like the Social Welfare Department, the Domestic Violence Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service and the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) for technical support.
By Rosemary Ardayfio