The Afigya Kwabre South District through the Department of Social Welfare and Community Development as part its Inter Sectoral Social Service (ISS) programme has undertaken a vigorous sensitization drive to communities and schools in the district. This engagement with the communities’ folks and school children were organized between the periods of February and March, 2023.
The sensitization teams from the department were grouped based on their task and the area of engagement that have been assigned to them. Whereas the first group of five (5) members were tasked to undertake a door-to-door sensitization drive to selected groups of gatherings in the community, the other group focused on the engagement with children in their schools using the Child Protection facilitation toolkit.
In all, Three thousand, Two hundred and Fifty – Eight (3,258) pupils involving 1,752 males and 1,506 females were reached during the period of sensitization in their schools. These audience were admonished to be a good online role model, refrain from substance abuse and eschew early sexual relationships.
Teenage pregnancy, Online safety, Menstrual hygiene, Substance abuse and Parental neglect were among the key issues or topics that were discussed with the pupils. This was necessitated by the fact that previous teenage pregnancy figures recorded by the district were not encouraging.
The head of department, Mr. Cheslyn Nutsugah, has tasked his staff to help make these sensitization teams a routine mandate where staff from the department, will periodically visit the school children, community members, churches, mosques, markets and other community based organizations to undertake sensitizations on topical issues in the district.
The department is looking forward to the Assembly and other development partners to make adequate funding allocation to this course to help address the many social vices and child protection issues affecting the people (especially the vulnerable, women and children) in the district.
