The Tiyumba Hope Foundation (THF) has joined the 16-day campaign against gender-based violence with a stakeholder engagement session in Tamale last Friday, November 25, 2022.
The meeting held in collaboration Plan International Ghana discussed issues on Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR), income generation activities, climate change adaptation among others.
The 16 Days of Activism is a global campaign that seeks to continuously advocate for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, increase awareness and sensitized the public on the need to prevent the criminal act which is mostly perpetrated against women.
The Founder and Executive Director of Tiyumba Hope Foundation, Ms Fadila Fuseini, in her presentation said COVID-19 has brought untold suffering to young people in the country more particularly in the north, emphasizing the pandemic has also eroded efforts by both national and regional health actors such as THF to provide SRH education and services to teenage girls in many districts of the northern region.
“Our knowledge gained from years of working in communities with the youth, women and girls is that SRH services are the preserve of adult men and boys and also unprotected sexual intercourse is the norm in Northern Region which results in high levels of unintended pregnancies.”
The women led charitable organization intends to embark on a project to address the SRHR needs of young people in schools, homes and communities.
The project would create the enabling environment for young people but place premium on girl child education and empowerment.
Ms Fadila stated the National Strategic Framework on ending child marriage and the 2017/2018 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) reports the northern region has 28% of all marriages involve children or early forced marriage.
She believes more girls and women are likely to fall prey to this if both state and non-state agencies fail to actor promptly.
