Adolescent friendly and Counselling Centre opens in central Tongu District of Adidome

 The Adolescent Friendly and Counselling Centre has officially being opened in Central Tongu District, Adidome, by the Global Women Development Promoters (GLOWDEP) with support from Plan International and Global Affairs Canada.

The centre is part of the Flexible Response Funding Mechanism (FRFM -2) under the Women’s Voice in Leadership Ghana project implemented by GLOWDEP.

The Women’s Voice and Leadership (WVL) project spearheaded by Plan International Ghana is a program geared towards responding to the need of Women Rights Organization (WRO) in Ghana.

The program focuses on strengthening the capacity of WROs to advocate advance gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. It also aims at increasing the effectiveness of Local and national Women Rights Platforms, networks and alliances to affect policy, Legal and Social change.

As part of the activities, GLOWDEP had funding from Plan International and it partners Global Affairs Canada to implement Adolescent Friendly and Counselling Centre in Adidome.

There was a community Entry exercise for sixteen (16) people to identify Volunteers and Stakeholders that would be engaged in the effective implementation of the project. A one (1) day workshop was organized for Advocacy team which included representatives from the Ghana Education Service (GES), National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Social Welfare, Community Role models and Religious Leaders among others.

 

A detailed presentation by Dr. Victoria Norgbey to stakeholders in relation to their roles and responsibilities with respect to the implementation of project.

GLOWDEP organized a stakeholder meeting for 34 stakeholders to explain the scope and content of the project. Stakeholder analysis exercise was conducted to outline the roles and responsibilities of the various actors that will contribute to effective implementation of the project.

In a related event, 20 School Based Facilitators of Girls Clubs were also taken through a two-day advocacy training towards the sustainability of the project.

The flagship of the activities was the update and opening of the Adolescent Friendly and Counselling Centre at the GLOWDEP Centre in the Central Tongu District on 28^th June, 2022 which brought on board seventeen (17) people (Advocacy group and Stakeholders) as well as seventeen (17) school children from various schools in the Central Tongu District.

During the various meetings, suggestions and ideas were raised on how to protect the Rights of the Child and curb teenage pregnancy in the communities and improve Girl Child retentions in school. The Advocacy team and the School Based Facilitator volunteers drew action plans for the successful implementation of the project.

A review of activities after one quarter of implementation reveals that the stakeholders and advocacy are enthusiastic in fulfilling the objectives of the project. Such that whiles our projects officially was designed for ten school, we have covered thirty-two school with the Child Rights Protection and Education message.

The Adolescent Friendly and Counselling Centre will serve it purpose in reducing teenage pregnancy and promote school retention, in other to empower girls/ women to higher height in the society/ community as a whole. This project will go a long way to address issues of Adolescent Health Rights, Human rights and Child Abuse.