Hope for Future Generations (HFFG), in collaboration with the Alliance for Social Health Insurance and Public Health Initiatives (ASHIPTI), has launched the “Prevention of NCDs Among School Kids in Urban Ghana” to promote healthy lifestyles and nutrition among schoolchildren.

The project, launched in 2022 for its pilot phase, saw success and has now been extended, with completion expected in March 2029.

The project had two beneficiary schools — St Peter’s Catholic School, OSU and St Dominic Catholic School, Taifa.

The initiative seeks to educate children on healthy eating habits, physical activity and preventive health care in response to the increasing burden of non-communicable diseases among young people.

Speaking to the Daily Graphic, the Project Lead, Catherine Williams, said findings from a baseline assessment conducted among school children revealed worrying perceptions about healthy foods.

“During the baseline study, we asked the kids what in their view they considered healthy food.

It will interest you to know that some of these kids were very confident and excited and mentioned foods like Indomie, French fries, shawarma, pizza and others.

That alone is worrying,” she stated.

Ms Williams explained that the project was designed to encourage healthy diets, healthy living and positive lifestyle choices among children.

“This is a project that seeks to ensure a healthy diet, healthy living and a healthy lifestyle,” she said, adding that support for the project remained voluntary.

She commended the 20 volunteers supporting the initiative, describing their commitment as commendable.

“It is not common to come across young people these days taking up unpaid voluntary work, and so we hold our volunteers very dear to our hearts,” she added.

School health priority

Addressing students at St Peter’s Catholic School, the National Coordinator of the School Health Education Programme (SHEP), Theresa Opong Mensah, stressed the need to integrate education and health in national development efforts.

“As a country, we must recognise that education cannot be separated from health. A hungry child cannot concentrate.

An unhealthy child cannot learn effectively. A child burdened by poor nutrition and preventable diseases cannot fully achieve his or her potential,” she stated.

Ms Opong Mensah said the Ghana Education Service, through SHEP, continued to place high priority on school health, nutrition, physical activity, mental well-being and safe learning environments for learners.

She commended Hope for Future Generations for demonstrating leadership in addressing the growing challenge of non-communicable diseases among children.

At the event, a Volunteer with ASHIPTI, Dr Felicia Akuribrie, cautioned parents to feed their children with healthy foods when at home and when coming to school, as the rate of Type two diabetes is increasing among children each day.

“Parents must reduce the rate at which they stock and feed their children junk food and introduce fruits and vegetables to their kids at a younger age,” she stated.

She continued that parents must reduce screen time for their kids and introduce them to more basic physical activities, such as jogging, skipping, among other basic healthy activities.

Dr Akuribrie explained the need for physical activity and healthy eating to the pupils and encouraged them to participate fully in their physical education sessions at school, while reducing how often they enjoyed sugary snacks at school.

Donations

As part of the programme, sporting items and educational materials, including water bottles, skipping ropes, footballs, meal charts, physical activity catalogues and water barrels, were donated to the schools.

Receiving the items on behalf of the school, the Headmistress of St Peter’s Catholic School, Felicity Sarah Armah, expressed appreciation to the staff and volunteers of Hope for Future Generations for the gesture.

She pledged the school’s commitment to ensuring that pupils under its care adopted and maintained healthy lifestyles.