Acknowledgments 

The authors would like to thank the USAID mission in Ghana and especially Lawrence Darko 

and Peter Wondergem for their financial support for this project and facilitating the dissemi 

nation workshop in Accra. 

We also thank the staff at ORC Macro, especially Stanley Yoder for reviewing the proposal and 

Glen Heller for support with the Atlas IT data processing during the coding and data processing 

stages. 

We wish to thank the Research and Marketing Systems organization for their support in carrying 

out a census of health service providers and schools in the Ga Mashi area. 

We are grateful to the headmasters, staff and administration of the Wesley Junior Secondary 

School, the Bishop Boy School, The Sempe Junior Secondary School, and the St. Mary's 

Secondary for their support of this project during the data collection stages. 

Thank you to those participating in the dissemination workshop during which the 

recommendations for the report were developed. Representatives from each of the following 

organizations attended the workshop: Ghana AIDS Commission, University of Ghana, Sociology 

Dept., University of Ghana, School of Public Health, Ministry of Manpower Development, 

National Population Council, Ministry of Health, Reproductive Health Services, Ministry of 

Women and Children's Affairs, YMCA, JHPIEGO Corp. Accra, Ministry of Health, Health 

Research Unit, ISSER, Ministry of Health, Health Education Unit, Graphic Commission Group, 

University of Ghana, Dept. of Geography, WAJU, PPAG, NCWD, PIP, GBC Radio Production, 

GSMF Intemation, UNFPA, Ghana Education Service/CRDD, Save the Children, NNS Gender 

Programme, Ghana Health service, AYA, UNICEF, Engender Health, GSMF, Parliamentary 

Caucus on Population and Development, ACTION AID, DFID. 

Finally special thanks go to all the participants in the project, for their endurance and support.  

We especially appreciate the patience and enthusiasm of the 29 girls who participated in the 

study and who shared their experiences of coping with pregnancy. 

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