Healthy Living Skills Program

Vital Stats

Magbè S

New London, NH

  • People Doing It17

The Problem

After a trip to Pokuase, Ghana, West Africa as a volunteer intern, I was able to determine that the health programs in place in the schools were inadequate for purposes of family planning and general knowledge about sex education. I observed that access to clean water continues to be a national problem - The action I took was to create a survey so that our data would support the argument for a clean water source. Our data will be shared with the town once it is completed, in May. Diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes continue to affect those least able to afford good medical care. Additionally, malnutrition and HIV infection are continuing problems. For instance, the fact that girls are dropping out of school because of teenage pregnancies is sad but true in Pokuase. Studies estimate that nearly one-third of the childbirths recorded in public hospitals occurred to women younger than 19 years of age. This is even more striking in rural areas and small to medium towns like Pokuase which are frequently under-represented in the hospital birth statistics. Ghana is a country that makes available many types of contraception, from the pill to emergency contraception. In fact, contraceptive shots and implants are the most commonly used contraception because women can hide them from their husbands or partners. But why is the issue of teen pregnancy such a big issue in Ghana? Healthy Living Skills Program (HLSP) learned that teens are initiated early into sexual activity without any knowledge of contraception, despite the various types of birth control available to them in the country. HLSP learned that the only place girls are likely to get healthcare education, more specifically sex education, is in school because culturally, in Ghana, parents are not likely to feel comfortable talking about sex education with their children. Moreover, poverty is a problem preventing them from purchasing contraceptives.

Plan of Action

Healthy Living Skills Program (HLSP) goal is to improve the health of the village through providing health promotion/education targeting women and girls. Healthy Living Skills Program (HLSP) is fortunate to be working with a non-profit organization called WomensTrust, Inc. whose mission is to empower women and girls in Pokuase, Ghana, through microenterprise, education, and healthcare, and to inspire others to do the same elsewhere (www.womenstrust.org). WomensTrust Inc. was impressed that in a single trip I was able to build a trusting relationship with the community, as well as identify the best way to target the major health issues in Pokuase. In that regards, Healthy Living Skills Program is now under WomensTrust’s umbrella. HLSP has expanded its outreach to new people and groups in Pokuase, as well as in Amasaman and Accra. This network allows HLSP to continue building a good relationship with the women of Pokuase, as well as other organizations such as the grants office of the U.S. Embassy in Ghana and the Ghana Health Services Headquarters which will be very helpful resources in the future. In order to keep our progress and be sustainable HLSP will continue running and developing programs focusing on different health issues as well as continue working with the local radio station to broadcast healthcare messages via drama show/soap operas which is an effective way to get our message out to a wide sector of the community. It is important that we impress upon the radio station the advantage to their community in providing public service messages. HLSP is planning to have a small staff both in Pokuase and Ghana and to work with the public nurses and the Ghana Health Services to train trainers to disseminate information on topics such as diet, pre- and post-natal care, Insecticide Treated Nets (ITNs), iron supplements and more. Moreover, HLSP will need to efficiently identify those with high blood pressure and diabetes so that we can educate this population on lifestyle changes, including nutritional education.
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Education
Physical and Mental Health
Sex and Relationships

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