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Boys aged 15 to 19 denied condoms for being 'too young to be sexually active' - Study in Upper East finds. Aug 17, 2026 Updated: Aug 17, 2026 - Advertisement - Discover more Geographic Reference Pregnancy & Maternity Boys aged 15 to 19 in Saboro, Upper East Region, were reportedly denied condoms by service providers because they were considered too young to be sexually active, highlighting persistent barriers young people face in accessing sexual and reproductive health services. The finding is contained in the endline evaluation of the five-year Sexual Health and Reproductive Education (SHARE) Project, which found that significant improvements in adolescents' sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) knowledge and confidence did not translate into a statistically significant increase in their use of services. The reported experience in Saboro provides one of the clearest examples of the gap between equipping adolescents with SRHR knowledge and ensuring they can access services when they attempt to act on that knowledge. The evaluation found statistically significant improvements in adolescents' SRHR knowledge in intervention areas, while young people also reported greater confidence in their ability to seek information and services. However, reported use of SRH services declined at endline, although intervention areas continued to record higher levels of service use than comparison areas. The difference between the two was not statistically significant. Discover more Africans & Diaspora The evaluation identified privacy and confidentiality concerns, embarrassment, financial difficulties, waiting times and limited availability of adolescent-friendly services among the barriers discouraging young people from seeking care. Some adolescents also reported encountering attitudes and restrictions from service providers that made accessing services difficult. Misinformation about contraception was another challenge identified by the evaluation. Some adolescents and caregivers reportedly believed that using family planning methods before having a first child could result in permanent infertility. The findings indicate that improved knowledge alone may not be enough to overcome the social, cultural and institutional barriers influencing adolescent health-seeking behaviour. The SHARE Project was implemented by a consortium led by Right To Play, in partnership with FAWE Ghana, WaterAid Ghana and FHI 360, with funding from Global Affairs Canada. In Ghana, the project was implemented from 2021 to 2026 in the Bongo District, Builsa North Municipality, Kassena-Nankana Municipality and Kassena-Nankana West District. It targeted young people aged 10 to 24 and worked through schools, communities, health facilities and government structures to improve access to accurate SRHR information and responsive services. The endline evaluation, conducted between March and May 2026, gathered evidence from 1,240 adolescents and young people, 351 teachers, 356 caregivers and stakeholders, as well as health facilities. Discover more Tourist Destinations Speaking during a regional dissemination of the findings, SHARE Project Officer at Right To Play Evans Gariba said the evaluation provides important lessons for future adolescent SRHR interventions. Schools record gains. The school environment emerged as one of the strongest areas of progress under the project. The evaluation found that 95% of teachers surveyed had received training from SHARE or its partners, while 91% were aware of national reproductive health education guidelines. Another 84% reported being much more comfortable teaching reproductive health education. Teachers, however, identified practical challenges that could undermine those gains. About 87% reported inadequate teaching and learning materials, while 58% said they did not have sufficient time to deliver reproductive health education. The evaluation also found increased participation by girls in SRHR advocacy activities in intervention areas, including peer mobilisation, community mobilisation, school governance and action research. There was also a statistically significant improvement in autonomous SRHR decision-making among women aged 15 to 24 who were married, cohabiting or in relationships and sexually experienced. Qualitative evidence pointed to increased confidence, voice and boundary-setting among some young women. However, the evaluation found that most girls still did not participate in advocacy or social action activities, suggesting that opportunities created for adolescent participation had yet to reach the majority. Family support for adolescents seeking SRH information and services also improved. The evaluation found that adolescents sometimes returned home with SRHR information that conflicted with cultural, religious or parental expectations, highlighting the importance of continued engagement with parents and caregivers. Gaps remain at health facilities. SHARE also worked to improve the quality and adolescent-friendliness of health facilities. Facilities that received infrastructure support generally recorded stronger readiness indicators than those that did not. However, gaps remained in waste management, standard operating procedures, supervision and the maintenance of adolescent-friendly services. The findings identified privacy, confidentiality, respectful treatment and age-appropriate services as critical factors in whether young people seek and return for care. With the project reaching the end of its five-year implementation period, attention has shifted to sustaining the gains. The Ghana Education Service in the Upper East Region says it plans to use technology to maintain engagement with teachers and monitor the continuation of SHARE-supported activities in schools. Deputy Regional Director of Education John Ankoh said teacher mentors would be engaged through regular online meetings. "Once in a month, our mentors in the various schools in the various locations will be met on Zoom to find out what they have been doing thereafter," he said. District education officials, including girl-child and training officers, will also engage the mentors to assess progress. "So, it is not ending here," Mr. Ankoh said. He said the project had significantly improved adolescents' understanding of sexual and reproductive health and rights. "The data shared with us points to a success story in helping adolescents and members of the community to know their sexual reproductive rights and education issues," he said. He added that improved knowledge could contribute to preventing sexually transmitted infections and teenage pregnancies. The evaluation, however, warned that the gains made under SHARE could weaken without continued institutional support. It identified funding gaps, staff transfers, inadequate refresher training, supervision challenges and infrastructure maintenance among the risks to sustainability. The evaluators recommended integrating effective SHARE interventions into routine education and health plans and budgets, continuing engagement with adolescents and providing refresher training for teachers and health workers. They also called for stronger community accountability mechanisms and clearer SRHR education content across schools, health facilities and communities. The experience reported by the boys in Saboro underscores one of the central challenges identified by the evaluation: improving what young people know about their sexual and reproductive health must be matched by services that allow them to act on that knowledge without stigma or unnecessary barriers. A1 Radio | 101.1 MHz | Moses Apiah | Bolgatanga - Advertisement - Aug 17, 2026 - Advertisement -

A major public health victory. As Back-to-Care campaign reconnects 1 802 Basotho to HIV treatment BOKANG MOSHOESHOE MAPHIKA MASERU - In a significant triumph for Lesotho's public health sector, the Back-to-Care Campaign has successfully reconnected 1 802 Basotho living with HIV to life-saving antiretroviral therapy after they had interrupted their medication regimens, marking a watershed moment in the nation's relentless battle against the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The nine-month intensive intervention, which concluded with a dissemination symposium in Maseru this week, represents one of the most comprehensive patient-tracing efforts ever undertaken in the mountain kingdom. The campaign reached 106 health facilities nationwide, demonstrating the scale and ambition of Lesotho's commitment to achieving epidemic control. The initiative was implemented under the Meeting Targets and Maintaining Epidemic Control (EpiC) Project, led by FHI 360 in collaboration with the Ministry of Health. Its primary objective was to identify and re-engage patients who had fallen out of the healthcare system - individuals who, for various reasons, had stopped taking their medication and were at grave risk of disease progression, opportunistic infections, and potential death. According to findings presented at the symposium, the campaign successfully traced and reconnected 1 802 out of 2 052 people who had defaulted on their HIV treatment between October 2025 and January 2026. This remarkable 88 percent success rate underscores the effectiveness of community-based tracing strategies and patient-centred approaches in addressing treatment gaps. However, the research also uncovered sobering realities: approximately 112 individuals had died after interrupting their HIV treatment. These tragic losses highlight the severe consequences of discontinuing medication and reinforce the critical importance of treatment adherence for those living with HIV. Speaking at the Back-to-Care Campaign Dissemination Symposium held in Maseru, EpiC Country Director, Dr Tafadzwa Chakare, emphasised that the campaign's success was rooted in its fundamental philosophy of placing people at the heart of healthcare delivery. "There is a huge need for open dialogue that encourages responsive healthcare services and effective collaboration, not just within the health sector, but across all sectors. Most importantly, it requires us to keep people at the centre of our response," Dr Chakare stated, addressing an audience comprising healthcare professionals, government officials, development partners, and community representatives. The country director further explained that beyond merely returning patients to treatment, the initiative significantly strengthened HIV prevention efforts through comprehensive contact tracing, expanded HIV testing services, linkage of newly diagnosed individuals to care, and provision of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) to eligible HIV-negative individuals - creating a holistic approach to epidemic control. Representing the United States Embassy in Lesotho, Thomas Hines, praised the country's remarkable progress in HIV response, noting that Lesotho has become a beacon of hope and an inspirational model for other nations confronting similar public health challenges. "Lesotho's success in reaching its HIV treatment targets has inspired the region and the world. These achievements are the result of years of commitment, innovation and collaboration, and they demonstrate what is possible when people join hands for a common purpose," Hines declared, underscoring the importance of sustained international partnership in supporting Lesotho's health sector. Hines further noted that the Back-to-Care Campaign exemplifies how strategic investments in health systems, combined with community engagement and political will, can yield tangible results in the fight against HIV/Aids. Minister of Health, 'Mamokete Ntšekhe, described the campaign as far more than a statistical achievement, emphasising that every patient who returned to treatment represented renewed hope for the nation and a family restored. "The reinstatement of these patients renews hope and protects the future of Lesotho. I am pleased by the number of people who have been reinstated because today we are not simply celebrating numbers, we are celebrating lives restored," Ntšekhe stated with evident emotion. The Minister encouraged all Basotho to remain steadfast in their commitment to treatment adherence and to continue supporting national efforts aimed at ending HIV as a public health threat. She further called on communities to actively participate in health promotion activities and to challenge the stigma that continues to surround HIV. In a powerful moment during the symposium, a member of the National Aids Commission who shared personal experience as a person living with HIV and who had previously stopped taking treatment urged others not to interrupt their medication, drawing from painful personal experience. The patient encouraged people living with HIV to take their medication exactly as prescribed by healthcare professionals, explaining that consistent adherence leads to better health outcomes, viral suppression, and improved quality of life. The patient also called on communities to educate themselves thoroughly about HIV to reduce stigma and improve understanding of the disease. "HIV is not a death sentence if we take our treatment seriously. I learned this lesson the hard way, and I don't want others to make the same mistake I did," the patient shared, receiving a standing ovation from the audience. Stakeholders at the symposium agreed that the campaign's success highlights the immense value of community-based approaches in improving treatment retention and maintaining progress towards HIV epidemic control. They also called for sustained collaboration among government, development partners, healthcare workers, and communities to ensure that no patient is left behind. The Back-to-Care Campaign was implemented in Maseru, Mafeteng, Mohale's Hoek, and Thaba-Tseka districts, with the programme supporting HIV and tuberculosis services across these regions. The National Aids Commission welcomed the campaign's achievements but stressed that more effort is still needed to strengthen HIV prevention initiatives to reduce new infections. As Lesotho continues its journey towards ending HIV as a public health threat by 2030, the Back-to-Care Campaign stands as a testament to what can be achieved when government, development partners, healthcare workers, and communities unite in a common cause. The lives restored through this initiative serve as powerful reminders that every individual matters in the collective effort to overcome the HIV epidemic.