PRESERVE POSITIVE HERITAGE AND DISCARD HARMFUL PRACTICES...... LORDINA URGES

 First Lady Dr Lordina Mahama has called on Africans to learn to preserve what is positive in their heritage, and culture, and jettison  practices that are harmful and degrading.

Addressing an Association of Wives of African Heads of Mission in Tokyo and leaders of some Japanese Women Groups at a Luncheon held in her honour by the Association as part of President John Dramani Mahama's official visit to Japan , Dr Lordina Mahama  noted that Africa has  a lot to be proud off, hence  must be preserved. She was quick to add that practices like  child marriage  must be discarded.

“Since I assumed the Presidency of OAFLA we have also included the campaign to end child

marriages to our agenda.  Despite our broadened programme of activities, getting new HIV

infections to zero remains a principal objective for us.

 We are especially worried that new

HIV infections among adolescents, are not declining quickly enough, as compared to other

segments of the population.”

This concern prompted us earlier this year, to hold a meeting of OAFLA members and

stakeholders in Accra. Under the banner of the 7th Africa Conference on Sexual and Health

Rights we launched a new campaign to tackle this challenge.

“The United Continental ‘All-In’ Adolescent HIV Campaign, which was launched in Accra, will

help us surmount all the hurdles. These include stigma, discrimination and lack of education,

and also harness the demographic dividend, for optimal productivity among the youth in

our population” she emphasized.

The first lady expressed her  commitment and that of her collegue African First Ladies  to ensure an HIV free generation for the continent through education, campaigns and the provision of anti-retroviral drugs, among others.

“At the Accra Conference we also outdoored our campaign to end child marriage. Under the

MDGs, we made significant progress in virtually achieving universal primary education,

including gender parity in enrolment”

“This success is jeopardized by the negative tradition of withdrawing especially girl children

from school and marrying them off at an early age. Girl children in some case as young as 12

are married off to men three or four times older than them. This deprives them not only of

precious education, but is also responsible for increased maternal deaths, fistulas, infant

and child mortality, depression, and even in some cases, suicide” she lamented.

The First lady believes it is the duty of duty to prevent our little girl children from

being married off to men they do not know, do not love, and who are far older than them.

“In Ghana, government policy is helping us greatly in ensuring that girls stay in school.

Expansion of access to secondary education means that more girls are staying in school,

beyond the basic school level. Remaining in school till they complete 3rd year of senior high

means they are able to attain the age of 18, which is considered the age of maturity in

Ghana”.

The first lady spoke of some successes of her foundation , the lordina foundation. She mentioned collaboration with the Ministry of Gender Children and Social Protection to empower women, support and promote children’s rights, and gives assistance to the poor and vulnerable.

The  Foundation has over the years been providing  Material and financial Support to orphanages and  going on periodic medical outreach programmes to mostly under-served communities in Ghana.

“With the support of Medshare USA, our support for deprived health facilities has been most

successful. We have distributed vital medical supplies, and equipment, to more than 50

District Hospitals and Health Centres, across the length and breadth of Ghana” she stated.

Dr Lordina called on her fellow women to contribute  in empowering women all over the globe and help to heal the ailing world.