Sogakope: Gray Network, a non-profit organisation, has undertaken a capacity-building initiative to strengthen community-based volunteers in the South and Central Tongu Districts to advance education on menstrual hygiene, sexual and reproductive health, and life skills among adolescents.
According to Ghana News Agency, the intervention, held at Sogakope and Adidome, forms part of Phase Two of the project titled 'Strengthening Volunteer-Led SRHR, MHM and Life Skills Education in Schools and Communities,' with support from the STAR-Ghana Foundation. The second phase aims to consolidate gains made under the initial phase by sustaining and enhancing the efforts of trained volunteers actively engaged in adolescent-focused education within schools and communities.
A total of 12 volunteers, comprising teachers, nurses, seamstresses, and community-based health volunteers, participated in the orientation and refresher training programme. The participants had previously been trained under the project and have since been supporting young people with education on menstrual hygiene management (MHM), sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), and life skills.
The refresher training was designed to deepen their knowledge and strengthen their capacity to deliver accurate, age-appropriate, and youth-friendly information. It also introduced enhanced monitoring and documentation mechanisms to support effective tracking of activities and outcomes. Participants were further equipped with participatory teaching methodologies, including group discussions, demonstrations, storytelling, and peer learning approaches, to facilitate interactive and impactful engagement with adolescents.
Mr Godsway Mensah, Programme Manager of Gray Network, noted that by empowering community-based volunteers, the project seeks to establish a sustainable support system for adolescent health education within beneficiary communities. He said as part of efforts to strengthen accountability and impact measurement, volunteers were introduced to various monitoring and reporting tools, including peer educator reporting templates, volunteer activity tracking tools, school attendance monitoring systems, menstrual impact assessment tools, and story-of-change documentation frameworks.
Mr Mensah expressed optimism that the continued efforts of trained volunteers would lead to improved menstrual health awareness, reduced stigma, and increased school attendance among girls in the South and Central Tongu Districts. 'The initiative also promotes volunteerism and encourages citizens to contribute meaningfully to community development by supporting adolescent wellbeing,' he said.
He added that participants were taken through key thematic areas, including menstrual hygiene management, adolescent reproductive health, life skills education, volunteerism, and active citizenship. Some participants who spoke to the Ghana News Agency expressed appreciation for the training, noting that it had enhanced their confidence and improved their capacity to engage effectively with young people.
A seamstress and community volunteer at Sogakope, Ms Abena, said the training had deepened her understanding of menstrual hygiene and improved her ability to guide young girls, particularly on the proper use and maintenance of reusable sanitary pads. A teacher who participated in the programme noted that the updated knowledge and tools would enhance their engagement with students and improve monitoring of progress within schools.
A community health volunteer also observed that the training would enable them to extend education beyond students to parents and the wider community, helping to reduce stigma associated with menstruation. Resource persons from the Ghana Health Service, Ghana Education Service, and the National Commission for Civic Education facilitated the training, providing technical guidance on adolescent health, civic responsibility, and community engagement.