One hundred and sixty community volunteers selected from the Bolgatanga Municipality and the Talensi District have received a day’s training on Behaviour Change Communication on some health related concerns.

 

They were tasked to promote exclusive breastfeeding, educate their communities against open defecation and the proper use of Long Lasting Insecticide Treated Nets.

 

The participants were urged to educate their communities on how to end early and forced marriages, emergency healthcare strategies and ways to promote social cohesion in their communities.

 

The Integrated Youth Needs and Welfare (INTYON) in collaboration with the two district assemblies, the Ghana Health Service, the Ghana Education Service as well as the Department for Children are implementing the one year Bahaviour Change Communication (BCC) project with support from UNICEF.

 

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), Mr Issah Ibrahim, the Executive Director of INTYON, said the decision to execute the project was informed by a baseline survey carried out in the two beneficiary districts.

 

“The main issues identified in the baseline survey include the fact that most of the community members are reluctant to practice exclusive breastfeeding, sleep under Long Lasting Insecticide Treated Nets and also practice some negative acts such as open defecation, early and forced marriages among others”, he said.

 

He urged all stakeholders to play active roles in the implementation of the project and expressed optimism that many concerns would be resolved to help improve upon the health status of the beneficiary communities.

 

Mr Hillary Adongo, the Project Coordinator in charge of BCC, said the project would occasionally embark upon monitoring and evaluation visits to find out the activities of the 160 Model Mothers and the volunteers who have been trained in communities within the two districts.

 

He said one of the major aims of the project is to help contribute to the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and impressed upon the trained Model Mothers and the volunteers to ensure that pregnant women access efficient delivery services at health facilities.

 

“As Model Mothers and volunteers, you are also expected to work with your traditional councils and the district assemblies to put in place good interventions that will help end open defecation and early and forced marriages”.

 

Mrs Georgina Aberese-ako, Regional Director of the Department of Children, who expressed worry about parental neglect and negative cultural practices such as early marriages, called on the stakeholders including parents, community members and teachers to help address the menace.

 

GNA