Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic which has affected over 180 countries worldwide, including Ghana, several measures and interventions have been put in place by governments to stop the spread of the virus in order to save lives. However, many of these interventions do not target young people and are bereft of initiatives to assist young people to cope with the threats of COVID-19 in these trying times.
In Ghana, though the partial lockdown has been lifted, challenges – such as unemployment, sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), minimal access to health and education services and an ever-increasing digital divide continue to hit young people hard. These challenges are intersectional and have led to frustration, anxiety and depression among this critical sect of the population.
The United Nations Youth Group in Ghana, an interagency network of UN agencies whose work is relevant to youth, has launched an e-workshop series for young people. Dubbed the ‘Youth Impact Series’, this initiative seeks to increase young people’s awareness on prevention, protection, response and coping mechanisms to minimize the negative impacts of the epidemic, while providing a platform for meaningful youth engagement on COVID-19.
The e-launch brought together over 300 young people from 7 countries, and 5 dynamic panelists representing global, continental and national movements and development agencies, all experts in their field.
Moderated by Angela Kwarshie of UNCDF, the launch hosted Sylvia Lopez-Ezra, Ag. UN Resident Coordinator in Ghana; Jayathma Wickramanayake, UN Youth Envoy; Aya Chebbi, African Union Youth Envoy; Irem Tumer, Focal Point for Youth Leadership & Participation, UNFPA HQ; and Ceasar Kaba Kogoziga from the Youth Action Movement in Ghana.
Ms. Lopez-Ezra commended the UNYG, and particularly UNFPA Ghana for initiating the series. She urged all sectors to increase such participation opportunities and provide intentional spaces for diverse groups of young people as part of meaningfully engaging them as partners in the COVID-19 response. “Despite all the obstacles that young people are facing in this period, we still see them finding ways to engage, to support each other and their communities, and to demand and drive change. We need to support them to continue this”, she added.
Jayathma and Aya emphasized young people’s leadership role in the global and African response to the pandemic and highlighted specific initiatives created for and with young people in response to the pandemic. They called for greater support to end SGBV particularly in this era when persons are forced to stay home with their abusers. The DOVVSU hotline [0551000900], a channel for reporting abuse, was announced by the moderator.
Caesar placed the spotlight on increasing access to sanitary products for all girls and women, and advocated for government’s removal of the 20% luxury tax on sanitary pads to ensure that girls can still go to school when menstruating. Putting on a community volunteer’s lens, Caesar called on all to ensure that persons with disabilities are not left out of eLearning opportunities during this period.
Finally, Irem introduced participants to the collaborative effort of UNFPA and Prezi to initiate the #YouthAgainstCOVID19 interactive and inclusive video campaign. The campaign has so far addressed mental health, SRHR, SGBV and young people taking action in the context of COVID-19. She admonished participants to recreate the messages in different languages to suit their local context and disseminate them among their audiences. The campaign can be accessed here: unf.pa/yac
Feedback from participants proved an increase in knowledge in managing the current crises. The ensuing workshops, as part of the series, will focus on other critical topics relevant to young people during the pandemic.