Health Support for Rural Youth in Ghana

Through our Community Adolescent Health Club, our main project in our efforts to help reduce the incident of teenage pregnancy through education and mentorship, we are proud to report that there have been 0 cases of teenage pregnancy recorded in the last three months. We intend to continue to educate and develop the teenagers in the village so that they will be able to achieve more.

Unfortunately, the dilapidated state of the community health facility has now become a hazard to the health officials and patients of the community hence staff have been forced to move out using a temporal covered space to provide health services to the community. We hope in the nearest future to begin a new building project to build a new community health facility.

Inspite of this setback, we have kept the Adolescent Health Club running successfully, ensuring that the youth of the community have the necessary information to navigate this stage of development. We have also maintained our periodic health screenings and basic health support to make sure our youth are healthy through the community nurse and facility. 

There are 24 boys and 30 girls, making the youth population undergoing our health support program a total of 54. We have provided health support through educational and training sessions that cover topics such as;

• Personal hygiene
• Covid-19 prevention and the importance of vaccination 
• Social Behavioral change communication 
• Misconceptions about fanily planning and its importance (directed toward out of school adolescents)
• Dangers of drug abuse and self-medication
• Emotions among adolescents; How to adapt, control, and manage them.
• Sexual, physical, artificial, environmental & social changes
• Dental Health

The above topics were all touched and the youth were educated on how to approach each of the topics. Personal hygiene was repeated in all the lessons, because we realized at the adolescent stage, they pay less attention to their personal hygiene.They were advised to bath at least twice a day and apply lime or chlorine solution in their armpit to absorb the sweat and bad odour.

Within a few weeks, some youth adapted to the personal hygiene lessons and some of them are really smelling good now and taking very good care of themselves.
Dental health section was also organized by Dr.Bannerman and they were advised to also brush their teeth at least twice a day, in a circular motion and also brush their tongues while at it.

They were also educated on dangers of drug abuse,and self medication,so they now report all their minor aliment to the clinic and they are being managed with first aid drugs (Paracetamol etc)
Those adults who have dropped out of school and have delivered have all enrolled themselves on the long reversible family planning methods (Implanon),due to the education on the importanceof family planning.

ADOPTED BEST PRACTICES
1.Treatment of Minor Ailments with first aid drugs.

2.Communication Skills in Adolescents have been transformed, they speak with decency and politeness.

3.The youth are now time conscious and punctual.

4.No Cases of Teenage pregnancy recorded among ages 10-19.

5.Dental care and distribution of pepsodent and toothbrush by Pepsodent Ghana, Led by Dr.Bannerman.

CHALLENGES*
1.Some parents do not allow their children to be in the class regularly.

2.Rains (Interrupted with our meeting days)

*RECOMMENDATIONS. *
1. Appeal for Educational trip

2.More First Aid Drugs for treatment of Minor.

3.Funds for snack during meetings.

*WAY FORWARD 2023*
1.Educational trips to PPAG in Accra.

2.Invitations of resource persons from various health departments

3.Intensify one on one education among the youth.

4.Organize meetings with parents of the youth, including the Chief & Community committee members to discuss how to properly raise and educate the youth in the community.