Teenage pregnancy as well as early marriage are at an alarming rate in the Kologo and the Naaga communities in the Kasena Nankana East Municipality of the Upper East Region. This came to light at an annual community pigment competition titled face of kolgo as part of activities to mark this year’s Kolgo Naba Yesiga festival of the chiefs and people of kolgo.
A total of 5,534 young girls in the Upper East Region got pregnant within the first ten months in 2021 and out this number of girls had a huge number of girls who got pregnant.
This, Atinga Ayinbila Paulina, the winner of the ‘face of kolgo’ competition described as sad. “it’s always very sad to know that the rate of teenage pregnancy and early marriages in this community is alarming and that is the main reason the paramount chief have decided to help us through this program. They will empower we the youth , so we have to figure out or know the main cause of teenage pregnancy and early marriage, per my interview, some of the girls in the community feel like if they are not able to go to school or if they are not able to learn a long term trade like hairdressing and others, they have no choice than to marry and that is what we want erased from the people. so, I think the main reason these girls get pregnant so early or marry so early is because there is nothing to do in this community after the farming season. so, I think if I am able to establish my project or if am able to teach the girls handy work like soap making, pomade making, it will help reduce teenage pregnancy and early marriages in the community”.
Miss Paulina who bags home a new motorbike also bemoaned the deficit in educational infrastructure as one of the factors affecting education in the area “although there is some improvements, but it’s not significant because the educational infrastructure of this community , as you hear some of the students even sit under trees and it’s very alarming so we seek the support of government or other nongovernmental organisations to support us so that we will be able to put infrastructure for the students. So that they can better their education”.
She cited poverty as one of the factors responsible for the rampant early marriages.
Gaspard Ayuureneeya .