The Chief of Denkyira Akomafo Abonsam in the Upper Denkyira East Municipality of the Central Region, Nana Ampofo II, has expressed concern over the increasing lack of parental care, which he said was leading to teenage pregnancies in the area.
He said the increasing number of teenage mothers was becoming a worry to the elders in the community and blamed parents for shirking their responsibilities and leaving their children to fend for themselves, thus letting them fall prey to unscrupulous men.
He, therefore, charged parents to provide the basic needs of their children, especially the girl-child, and nurture them to become responsible adults.
Teenage mothers
Nana Ampofo said this when two non-governmental organisations, Givers of Happiness and Shunam Foundation, presented some food items and educational materials to some teenage mothers at Denkyira Oponso.
He advocated the reintroduction of puberty rites as a way of discouraging the young girls from engaging in early sex and to also serve as a check on the young girls.
A representative from the District Directorate of Health, Mrs Mariam Haruna Mensah, also said aside from the medical dangers the teenage mothers were exposed to, it also stunted their progress in life as some of them were unable to continue their education.
Presentation
Presenting the items to the beneficiaries, the Public Relations Officer of Givers of Happiness, Mr Kwame Debrah, said the aim of the organisation was to empower the rural folks, especially the youth, with sex education and the need to abstain from early sex and also to provide support for the needy.
He said besides getting pregnant, teenagers also exposed themselves to other dangers such as Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) and also cut short their education.
He entreated parents and guardians to take keen interest in the upbringing of their children by providing them with their basic needs while ensuring that all their wards of school-going age were in school.
The items donated included bags of rice, boxes of bar soap, washing detergents, toiletries, cooking oils and biscuits. The rest were soft drinks, school uniforms, mathematical sets, pencils, pens and exercise books.
