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An initiative to end child marriage is being implemented in 15 communities in the Gomoa East and Awutu Senya districts and the Awutu Senya East Municipality.
Known as the Promoting Adolescent Safe Spaces (PASS) project, the initiative is being implemented by International Needs Ghana (INGH), an NGO, in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
The project is part of a global programme aimed at ending child marriage.
It seeks to ensure that girls enjoy their childhood free from the risks of early marriage and pregnancy, and are empowered to make informed decisions regarding relationships and marriage.
While adolescent girls are the primary beneficiaries, boys and parents/caregivers are also engaged as secondary target groups.
As part of the project activities, INGH organised a three-day training programme to equip 95 facilitators with the knowledge, skills and tools to manage the Safe Spaces programme and conduct parenting sessions.
Resource persons from the Department of Social Welfare (DSW), the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) built the capacity of the participants to deal with issues of Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) Child Rights and Responsibilities, Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (ASRHR), Child Marriage and Responsible Parenting, etc.
In an opening address, the Head of Programmes of International Needs Ghana, Isaac Arthur, said the project had successfully been implemented in five Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs), comprising the Cape Coast Metropolitan Assembly, the Mfantsiman Municipal Assembly, the Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abirem Municipal Assembly, the Agona West Municipal and the Assin Foso Municipal Assembly since 2019.
He said that since the PASS intervention began in 2019, it has reached over 10,000 adolescent girls, with numerous stories of transformation.
He added that since its inception in 1987, the organisation has contributed significantly to education, gender and child rights, youth development, health and Christian witnessing.
At the end of the training, participants demonstrated the knowledge gained and the empowerment to engage adolescents within their communities.
