Youth Advocates Ghana (YAG) together Marie Stopes Ghana have engaged parents, community gatekeepers, adolescents, religious and traditional leaders to foster inter-generational dialogue as a pathway to strategically promote adolescent sexual and reproductive health rights (ASRHR).

The programme was held in selected districts in the Northern and Upper East Region of Ghana, from September 11 to 16 and September 25 to 29 respectively.

The inter-generational dialogue is a part of activities under the Youth for Health (Y4H) project which is Co-funded by the European Union.

The activity was carried out in selected communities in the five (5) Y4H Project implementing districts; Nanton, Saboba, and Nanumba North districts for the Northern Region, and Bongo and Bolgatanga East Districts for the Upper East Region.

Stakeholders were engaged in an inter-generational dialogue to help identify and break barriers hindering parent-child engagement. The dialogues also increased parents understanding of the adolescent reproductive health life, and willingness to engage them more to expose their wards to service centres to enable them live healthy.

The stakeholders, mainly parents, adolescents traditional and religious leaders, in various communities expressed their appreciation for the dialogue and expressed willingness to engage their wards to help improve the sexual and reproductive health and wellbeing of adolescents in their communities.

“I dropped out of school due to teenage pregnancy as I didn’t have knowledge on ways to protect myself, so I urge my peers to engage their parents on their reproductive health life to avoid repeating my mistake.” noted Lydia Akolbire, an adolescent in Kantia, Upper East Region.

“Accessing reproductive health services in my community is challenging. However, this inter- generational dialogue has exposed me to service centres that I will refer my wards to.” noted Mr. Richard, a parent in the Yarigabisi, Upper East Region.

“Lack of communication between parents and their children has been a major hindrance to access to reproductive health services in my community. This dialogue has paved a way for me to consult my parents on my reproductive health life.” Noted Ms. Hariatu, an adolescent in Bimbilla, Northern Region.

The Youth for Health (Y4H) project aims to increase demand for, and access to, high-quality, discrimination-free ASRHR information and services; increase public sector willingness and capacity to deliver and sustain high-quality ASRHR information and services, and improve enabling policy and funding environment at regional, national, and sub-national level of the project.

The project builds on MSI and partners’ experience in supporting the delivery of adolescent-friendly healthcare, advocating for increased domestic funding for adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights (ASRHR), and strengthening the capacity of adolescents, youth and community structures.

The Y4H project is being implemented in six countries in Africa from 2022-2025. In Ghana, the project is implemented by Marie Stopes Ghana (MSG) and Youth Advocates Ghana (YAG) in the Northern and Upper East regions. 

YAG leads on the implementation of the reproductive health education (RHE) for in-and-out of school adolescents in Ghana and contribute to awareness raising and policy dialogue on SRHR of vulnerable adolescents.