Young Women Initiative - Ho Edition

Women constitute about 52% of the Ghanaian population and form more than half of the World’s population and also constitute more than half of the world’s potential as well. 

The Sustainable Development Goals calls for Global, National, Regional and local efforts with special attention to Goal 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 and 16 in visualizing the inclusion of women and girls within the ecosystem of policy dialogues and development. Yet, there are still many inequalities many women and girls face.

Our objective is to foster partnerships that empower more young girls and women to voice out their needs on these goal targets and promote their sustainable livelihood so they are not left behind especially for our young girls and women in undeserved communities.

The 1st phase of our project focused on our first objective; access to quality essential health care services (including reproductive health information) for rural young girls and women. Our case study was at the Ho Municipal hospital (within an urban settlement).  In all we had about 100 mothers including teenagers from rural settlements. 

DISCOVERIES

1. Many young girls and women do not have access to essential health care services including reproductive health information in their communities hence come to the urban centers to seek medical attention.

2. Some rural communities have basic facilities yet lack quality health delivery and devoid of maternity services.

3. Most mothers are uneconomically empowered hence can’t afford to care for their basic needs and that of their babies. 

4. Most teenage mothers are not conscious of their personal hygiene neither aware of what Sexual Reproductive health and rights is.

5. Most mothers are school dropouts and can’t take decisions on their own (it’s either their spouses or relatives are in charge of their decisions and choices).

Partnership with the Ho Civil Society Organization’s (CSOs) Platform, UN Youth, Wornam foundation and some individual key stake holders helped provide items like delivery kits, sanitary pads, boxes of bottled water, textile prints, babies and women clothing and toiletries. 

This was to help reduce the incidence p of maternal and infant mortality. We took the opportunity to create awareness on goal 3, 4 and 8 to our mothers and other health service providers available for the program.
We are going to work to have a sustainable engagement and partnership with key stakeholders to gather data to;

1. Identify, rehabilitate and empower mothers to enable them access economic and educational opportunities through training and capacity building.

2. Create public awareness to increase information about infant and maternal health.  

3. Provide teenage girls and mothers with reproductive health information and importance of personal hygiene.

4. Ensure back to school initiative for teenage mothers who want to go back to school.