The Department of Gender under the auspices of the Volta Regional Coordinating Council (VRCC) with funding support from the UNFPA organized a series of dialogue sessions with young men on ending child marriage and Gender-Based Violence, while advancing gender equality as well.

The programme which was organized in four communities in three districts took place on the 19th, 20th, and 22nd November, 2024.

Communities visited include Anyanui in the Anloga Municipality, Devego, and Zukpe both in the Ketu North District, and Mafi-Kumase in the Central Tongu District respectively.

The purpose of the programme was to serve as a follow-up to the training of the selected community facilitators, and a wider approach to advocacy, as well as a further step to scale up dialogue sessions with 320 young men and boys using the National Framework for engaging men and boys and its corresponding toolkits to advance gender equality, SRHR, and Gender-Based Violence.

Participants were taken though:

1. The concepts of Gender, Gender Equality, and Masculinity.

2. Sexual and Gender-Based Violence, and Child Marriage

3. Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights.

4. Effects of Adolescent Pregnancy and STIs on the individual and society.

Present at the various programmes were the Regional Director for the Department of Gender Mrs.  Thywill Eyra Kpe, and her staff, District Officers from Ghana Health Service, and Department of Social Welfare and Community Development. Others include Chiefs and elders from the various communities, Assembly members as well as participants from various youth groups, artisanal groups and “Okada” riders.