The Centre for the Development of the People (CEDEP), a health oriented Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), has selected five districts in the Western Region to enhance the health of women through its Reproductive Health Supplies Project. The project, which would operate in the Jomoro, Shama, Ellembelle, Nzema East as well as Mpohor Wassa East districts, seeks to prevent unwanted pregnancies, infant morbidity and maternal mortality and to encourage women in their reproductive age to plan their lives before child bearing. Mrs Aba Oppong, the Health Manager of the NGO, announced this when she paid a courtesy call on the Member of Parliament (MP) for Shama, Mr Gabriel Kodwo Essilfie, at Inchaban near Takoradi. "The project is also a poverty reduction strategy which would bridge the gap in accessing quality health and nutrition services", she said. She called on MPs in the selected districts to set aside part of their share of the Common Fund to support the project, hoping the project would be embraced by the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). Mr Essilfie noted that if women who are in their reproductive age are given proper medical care, it would reduce maternal mortality and child morbidity. He observed that the country's coastal areas have high rate of teenage pregnancies due to lack of facilities such as libraries and youth centres. "If such communities had libraries and community centres, the youth would always be occupied with their studies as well as socialize and learn from their peers instead of indulging in acts that does not augur well for them" , he said. Mr Essilfie asked that sex education be included in the curriculum of Junior and Senior High Schools in the country. "Parents and guardians should also educate their children on sex as soon as they reach their teens for them to understand why they should abstain from early sex", he added. Source: GNA