The United Nations Population Fund (UNPFA) office in Ghana is to collaborate with the Pempamsie Foundation, a non-governmental organization founded by 2015 winner of TV3’s Ghana’s Most Beautiful, in the fight against teenage pregnancy in the Central Region.
This came to light after a meeting between the beauty queen and UNFPA’s Country Director Dr Babatunde Ahonsi in Accra.
Esi, born Vera Oheneba Safoah, who is the Chief Executive Officer of Pempamsie Foundation, expressed optimism and joy at the outcome of the meeting.
She said the partnership between Pempamsie Foundation and UNFPA will go a long way to reduce the teenage pregnancy menace in many communities in the Central Region.
“I must say it was a very fruitful meeting and I look forward to having them as a supporting partner to tackle teenage pregnancy issues and adolescent productive health,” she said.
“In September, my foundation in collaboration with the Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana had a community-based anti-teenage pregnancy programme during the Cape Coast Annual Oguaa Fetu Festival and we were privileged to have some officials from UNFPA, who I believe saw the potential in me and my team hence this intended collaboration.”
National Program Analyst in charge of Monitoring and Evaluation at UNPFA Eric Appiah Okrah said the meeting offered the opportunity for the Pempamsie Foundation and UNPFA to have a mutual fraternity to collaborate with each other to address teenage pregnancy, adolescent health, child marriage and other gender-based issues.
According to him, Country Director Dr Ahonsi and officials of the UNFPA look forward to aiding the foundation with expertise and technical support in line with its goals.
He also revealed that that UNFPA is currently working in seven regions including the Central Region to help reduce some social challenges in Ghana.
According to statistics made available by the Ghana Health Service, 13,400 girls between the ages of 10 and 19 years got pregnant in 2015 in the Central Region alone, a situation which many including traditional authorities in the Region are not happy with.
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