The Muslim Family Counseling Services, with funding support from UNESCO, has organized a seminar for faith leaders and traditional leaders on reproductive health education.
The seminar, which took at the conference hall of Encom Annex Hotel in the Techiman South Metropolis of the Bono East region, was aimed to solicit ideas and contributions from faith and traditional leaders for age-appropriate reproductive health education in the country’s educational system.
The seminar, which was facilitated by the Chief Executive Officer for the Center of Posterity Interest Organization (COPIO), Mr. Mustapha Maison Yeboah, was graced with the presence of representatives of the Techiman Traditional Council, Techiman Zongo leadership, representatives of the Techiman Local Council of Churches and the Bono East regional Chief Imam.
The participants, were engaged in a constructive dialogue as the Muslim Family Counseling Services, seeks to explore ways in promoting reproductive health education that is both effective and culturally sensitive.
Director for the Muslim Family Counseling Services, Mr. Mohammed Bun Bida, said his outfit in partnership with UNESCO seeks to make inform decision on age-appropriate reproductive health education in Ghana hence the seminar with faith and traditional leaders.
“We are basically here for a project we are implementing together in partnership with UNESCO, which is strengthening support for addressing opposition to reproductive health education in Ghana through engagement of faith-based organizations and actors.
“The whole concept was to engage faith leaders to get their views and also train them in how to provide reproductive health education with bearing in mind the faith-based approach, the scriptures, age appropriate.” He said
According to him, the backlashed from the previous reproductive health education was from faith and traditional leaders and therefore they deemed it appropriate to engage them before coming out with another reproductive health education syllabus.
“In Ghana we are lucky to have many mission schools. So it’s obvious that we need to engage faith leaders and the backlash we had for the reproductive health education largely came from the faith and traditional actors , so we needed to engage them to understand their views and then come out with workable solutions to the implementation of reproductive health education in Ghana.
“This is just an engagement and then we will meet them further to build their capacity because we wanted them to also do that in their various mosques, churches so that the reproductive health education will go a long way to help and assist our youth.”
The Chief Executive Officer for the Center of Posterity Interest Organization (COPIO), Mr. Mustapha Maison Yeboah, said the seminar is not only to solicit idea on age-appropriate reproductive health education but also to educate the participant about how to approach reproductive health education in their various areas of jurisdiction.
He said “We also wants to educate people on human right issues, in as much as our Ghanaian culture frowns on LGBTQ+ doesn’t mean we should take the law in our own hands and start beating people we believe are into LGBTQ+ activities.
Mr. Mustapha further disclosed that, similar seminar will be conducted at the national to validate the responses they will get from all the 16 regions which he believes will further inform their decision on age-appropriate reproductive health education in the country.
Some participants of the seminar that spoke with our reporter expressed hope that their suggestions will go a long way in shaping reproductive health education in Ghana.
They however emphatically said they are strongly against all activities of LGBTQ+ and don’t expect any part of it in the teaching of reproductive health in Ghana.
Source: Elvisanokyenews.com
