UNFPA Ghana in partnership with UNICEF organized a joint sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) training for adolescent girls and their parents in Accra. The parents of these young adolescents’ girls were educated on the importance of having effective communication with their children. Building a strong relationship can only be achieved when there is active communication between parents and their children.

Educating the parents at the event, Mrs. Nana Ama Oforiwaa Sarpong, a Gender adviser & Reproductive health advocate stated that “relationships between children and parents greatly improve when there is an effective communication taking place”.

She added that, children begin to form ideas and beliefs about themselves based on the fundamental communication they share with their parents. As a result, the information adolescent girls receive tend to shape their choices.

On the spot survey conducted by the UNFPA at the programme showed that, the adolescent girls trusted their mothers and are most likely to confide in their mothers as compared to fathers. Some had very interesting learning experiences to share.

“I have learnt about how to take care of myself as an adolescent, I know that I can get pregnant if I engage in pre-marital sex”.  I enjoy talking to my mother because she’s a woman like me, she has gone through menstruation. I am scared to talk to my father about my reproductive health issues, I feel he wouldn’t understand me” says Mariam Rashid one of the adolescent girls at the training session.

A parent, Gouet Fabrice, emphasized “coming here has informed me of the important phases in my adolescents girls life that I shouldn’t take for granted, as a parent I have to talk to my child so she can be friendly with me although we men are sometimes strict,”

Eloh Guyreth, a 16 year old girl from Togo stated “now I know as a girl child I have rights to life and education”.

The adolescents’ girls were educated on hygiene, sexual reproductive health as well as sexual and gender-based violence against women and girls.

The training session targeted the refugee population living in Ghana.