The First Lady
Dr Lordina Mahama has reiterated the need for Traditional and religious been to
champion the crusade against child marriages in the country.
Delivering the
keynote address to climax this year’s Apoo Festival in Techiman, the First lady,
Dr. Lordina Mahama noted that girls have been compelled to abandon their dreams
of sound education, and also future profession as doctors, lawyers, teachers
among others and are now wives and mothers.
Data released by
UNICEF revealed that 41,000 girls get married each day. The first lady finds this trend worrying and
unacceptable and therefore called on traditional leaders to join hands with
relevant stakeholders to end child marriage.
"As a mother, the practice breaks my
heart but more importantly it negatively affects the future of thousands of
young girls across Ghana and beyond," she said.
According to the
first lady, record indicates that due to population growth, the devastating
results of child marriage were likely to affect larger number of girls in
Africa in the coming years.
She said the prevalence of child marriage in Ghana
was fuelled by poverty, deeply rooted cultural norms and traditions that
condone the practice.
The situation
could also be could be caused by the restricted access and inadequate space in
existing secondary schools. "This is why government's effort at building
new community day senior high schools must be encouraged," she stated.
The Apoo festival which is a major festival in the
Brong Ahafo region provides the
inhabitants the opportunity to get "things off their chests”. It’s attracted
a wide patronage both indigenes and foreigners to reflect on issues of
development and also plan for the future.
Dr Lordina
Mahama used the opportunity to call on the people to be agent of development
and use the occasion to create the socio-economic partnership needed to promote
investment for development.
She urged the
people to be conscious about their health by regular visit to the hospital for
check-ups to prevent severe sickness.
Being the
founder of the the Lordina Foundation, the First Lady organised a free breast
cancer screening and other medical screening exercise for the people of Apoo
and its environs.
She expressed the commitment of the the foundation to continue
to raise awareness and provide education for the prevention of new HIV
infections, breast and cervical cancer.
The Chief of
Techiman traditional area, Oseadeyo Akumfi Ameyaw, IV commended government for
his commitment in the area and appealed to government to help complete the
various roads in the area.
He also
commended the First Lady for supporting to create awareness on HIV, breast and
cervical cancer in the country and pledged to mobilise chiefs and queens to
support the initiative.
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