As I Grow (NGO) a non-profit organisation based in Larteh, in the Eastern Region of Ghana has identified poverty as the main cause of Teenage Pregnancy in deprived communities.
Recently, the organisation has been engaging in various life transforming projects to equip the people in some deprived areas through education, skill training, economic empowerment strategies on savings, free health care, providing safe water, donations and advocacy work on the menace of teenage pregnancy.
As part of providing support for these people, the organisation through research has come out with the major causes of teenage pregnancy and school dropouts in the deprived communities.
Mr Debrah Bekoe Isaac, the Chief Executive Officer of As I Grow, explained to the media the surge of teenage pregnancy and school dropouts in the country.
He said from 2016 to 2020, Ghana recorded more than half a million of teenage pregnancy according to the report from the Health sector and Eastern Region alone where his organisation is based recorded over 56,000.
Mr. Debrah Bekoe Isaac, also said most of the single parents in these agrarian communities do not have any meaningful jobs, thus young adolescent girls have to fend for themselves by engaging in premarital sex.”
The men who engage in these unhealthy acts with these young girls are just Okada riders who finally run away from their roles after impreginating them.”
He revealed that most of these victims are between the ages of 12 and 15 years, who are either in the Primary school or Junior High School.
The Chief Executive Officer of As I Grow said the current economic hardship in the country is really making life difficult for the less privileged in the deprived communities in Ghana.
“The lack of economic empowerment avenues and vocational training is really increasing the menace of teenage pregnancy and school dropouts.
Children have now resorted to staying at home since parents cannot provide for them”
He further lamented how these plights are really having negative impacts on our children and youths in the deprived communities.
Adding that, his organisation is providing both kind and vocational training skills to empower women and the general population in these areas to help improve their economic lives to curb poverty and also create awareness on the effects of teenage pregnancy and school dropouts and decrease the menace.
He used the opportunity to call on other organisations,individuals, government and institutions to lend support to deprived communities.
As I Grow aims at providing lifeline measures to support the general population in the rural and very deprived communities in Ghana.
