Norsaac, a civil society organisation (CSO), has urged the Planning Unit of the Northern Regional Coordinating Council (NRCC) to adopt the modules and strategies of its Promoting Adolescent Safe Spaces (PASS) project to help stem incidence of child marriage in the Region.
Madam Nancy Yeri, Girls and Female Empowerment Manager at Norsaac, who made the call, said the PASS project modules were carefully designed to achieve social wellbeing of young people, especially girls.
She said this when officials from Norsaac and its partners, including, UNFPA, UNICEF and International Needs Ghana among others called on Alhaji Alhassan Shani Saibu, Northern Regional Minister, at his office, in Tamale.
The meeting was to discuss issues that would strengthen collaborations between Norsaac and the NRCC in carrying out development activities in the Region.
The PASS project is a five-year project which begun in 2019 and sought to carry out interventions that would aid the growth and development of young people to help them achieve their ambitions.
It is being implemented in 15 communities each in Kpandai and Tolon, and 10 communities in the Tatale-Sanguli districts of the Northern Region, 10 communities each in the West Mamprusi and Mamprugu Moagduri districts of the North East Region as well as 10 communities in Bole District of the Savannah Region.
It is jointly funded by UNFPA and UNICEF through their Global Programme to Accelerate Action to End Child Marriage and offers a framework for promoting the rights of girls to delay marriage, addressing the conditions that keep the practice in place, and caring for girls already married.
The project’s modules include;, Girl Led Programming, Boys Supportive Programming, Mural Painting Strategy, I care for Adolescent strategy, and Girls Network strategy.
Madam Yeri said since the project’s inception, a number of gains had been made in its operational areas, and urged the NRCC Planning Unit to incorporate the modules in their activities to help benefit every young person in the Region.
Alhaji Saibu commended Norsaac and its partners for complementing government’s efforts in achieving sustainable development in the Northern Region.
He underscored the need to have multi-sectorial collaborations to help combat incidences of child marriage and other forms of child abuse in the region, and pledged his commitment to support efforts to achieve the aim.
The Northern Regional Minister said he would ensure the modules were incorporated into the Region’s development plans to help accelerate actions to combat child marriage and its associated effects in the area.
Source: GNA
