Traditional leaders and stakeholders in the New Juaben Traditional Area have attended a two-day capacity building workshop on commitment to curbing teenage pregnancy and ending harmful practices including child marriage in Koforidua, the Eastern Regional capital.
The workshop organized by the Obaapa Development Foundation in collaboration with UNFPA was to equip the traditional leaders to be abreast of the phenomenon to help achieve the desired result since they are the custodians of culture.
The Obaapa Development Foundation is an organization in Ghana dedicated to gender equality and empowerment of women and girls. It is a national champaign that coordinates capacity building and facilitates programmes for Traditional and Religious Leaders to ensure that discriminatory systems, gender and social norms are addressed.
ODF focuses on advocacy and capacity building of traditional leaders to promote gender equality, end gender-based violence and harmful practices in their areas of jurisdiction.
Traditional leaders in Ghana wield significant authority and influence within their communities. They are the custodians of culture and mediators of conflicts, they serve as pivotal intermediaries for development.
ODF capitalizes on this to advance the Global Programme to End Child Marriage and with support from UNFPA, as well as working in collaboration the Ministry of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, MCRA, Regional Coordination Councils and to build the capacity of traditional leaders at paramountcy level.
This resulted in seven paramountcy declaring publicly to end child marriage in their areas of jurisdiction under the campaign “Commitment to Ending Child Marriage in Ghana, one paramountcy at a Time”.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Obaapa Development Foundation, Nana Adjoa Awindor who explained the rationale behind the project, said the foundation aims to build capacity and facilitate programmes for traditional and religious leaders to ensure that discriminatory systems, gender and social norms are addressed.
She called for an end to child marriage, teenage pregnancy and other harmful practices. She further stated that she had interacted with parents on issues to guide the path of their children and get them enrolled in skillful programmes.
The Gyasehene of the New Juaben Traditional Area, Nana Twumasi Darkwah welcome the initiative and pledged their resolved to support the cause.
