COMMUNITY AND FAMILY AID FOUNDATION

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Today is World Environment Day

Official Theme, “Inspired by Nature. For Climate. For Our Future

ACCRA, GHANA — June 5, 2026-Friday

On this World Environment Day, the Community and Family Aid Foundation (CAFAF) Ghana joins the global community to mark this vital day under the official theme, “Inspired by Nature. For Climate. For Our Future.” Aligned with the global campaign , anchored from the host city of Baku, Azerbaijan, we issue an urgent call to action for the preservation of our ecosystems as the ultimate defense against the escalating climate crisis.

The Global Reality and the African Frontline

The world stands at a critical ecological crossroads. Globally, rising temperatures and unpredictable weather patterns are dismantling livelihoods. Africa faces the sharpest edge of this crisis despite contributing the least to global emissions. Across the continent, intensifying droughts, unpredictable rainfall, and rapid deforestation are directly threatening food security, clean water access, and the stability of millions of families.

The Crisis at Home: Ghana’s Environmental Battle

Here in Ghana, the climate emergency is no longer a future threat—it is our current reality. Our sacred forests are depleting, our vital water bodies are facing unprecedented pollution from illegal mining (galamsey), and changing weather cycles are disrupting our agricultural backbone. These environmental injuries hit local communities and families the hardest, draining economic resources and compromising the future of our youth.

Our Unwavering Commitment: Action

At CAFAF Ghana, we firmly believe that the answers to our climate challenges are rooted in nature itself. We are actively committing our resources, advocacy, and community networks to implement nature-based solutions. Our 2026 strategic focus centers on:

• Community-Led Restoration: Spearheading local tree-planting initiatives to restore depleted native ecosystems and protect biodiversity.
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• Climate Smart Education: Equipping families and smallholder farmers with sustainable agricultural practices to build resilience against extreme weather.
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• Grassroots Advocacy: Empowering women and youth to become frontline defenders of Ghana’s natural water bodies and forest reserves.
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A Call to Action for Our Collective Future

We cannot afford to wait. The future of Ghana’s environment depends entirely on the bold decisions we make today. CAFAF Ghana calls on the government, civil society, traditional leaders, corporate bodies, and every citizen to move past words and invest heavily in eco-protection. Let us safeguard our native ecosystems. Let us act to secure a sustainable, prosperous tomorrow for every family.

Media Contact:

https://cafafghana.org/

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World No To***co Day 2026 (31st May, 2026-sunday)

ACCRA, GHANA — CAFAF-GHANA CALLS FOR URGENT POLICY ACTION TO DEFEAT PREDATORY TO***CO MARKETING ON WORLD NO TO***CO DAY 2026

Today, the Community And Family Aid foundation-Ghana (CAFAF-Ghana) joins the global community and the World Health Organization (WHO) to mark World No To***co Day 2026 under the pressing theme, "Unmasking the Appeal – Countering Ni****ne and To***co Addiction." This year's celebration demands that we expose the deceptive strategies used by the to***co industry to profit from a new generation of vulnerable youth.

The Overwhelming Public Health Crisis

To***co remains the single largest preventable cause of premature death worldwide. Global data reveals that to***co claims 8 million lives annually, including 1.2 million innocent non-smokers exposed to secondhand smoke. Regionally, the threat is accelerating: Africa suffers over 250,000 to***co-attributable deaths each year, with mortality rates projected to double by 2030 if swift action is not taken.

In Ghana, the paradox is frightening. While adult to***co use sits at a relatively low threshold, nearly 6,000 Ghanaians die every year from to***co-related illnesses. Meanwhile, the Global To***co Index highlights an alarming trends: child and adolescent use (ages 13–15) has risen to 9%, fueled directly by new ni****ne products.

Unmasking the Industry Strategy

"The traditional cigarette is being repackaged as a tech gadget," stated the Executive Director of CAFAF-Ghana. "The introduction of e-cigarettes, v**es, and synthetic ni****ne pouches—laced with sweet flavors and hidden behind sleek aesthetics—is a calculated corporate strategy to trap Ghanaian children in a lifetime cycle of ni****ne dependence."

This constitutes a critical public health failure. Early ni****ne exposure permanently alters adolescent brain development, damages respiratory systems, and introduces long-term cardiovascular risks.

A Call for Decisive Remedies

CAFAF-Ghana outlines three structural remedies that must be executed by policymakers immediately:
Enforce an Absolute Flavor Ban: Outlaw all sweet, fruit, and candy-flavored ni****ne juices that make addiction appealing to children.

Eradicate Digital Marketing Placements: Impose severe regulatory fines on entities promoting to***co, v**es, or ni****ne pouches via social media algorithms or digital influencers.

Close Legislative Loopholes: Strengthen cross-border monitoring to end the illicit trade and deceptive labeling of modern to***co alternatives.

CAFAF-Ghana’s Roadmap: Our Commitment to the Future

To combat this escalating epidemic, CAFAF-Ghana is launching a multi-tiered strategic plan designed to shield Ghanaian families:

Short-Term Initi
atives (2026–2027):

CAFAF-Ghana will instantly roll out its "Unmask the V**e" school awareness tours across 100 high-risk secondary schools, while deploying community-based cessation toolkits to assist youth currently struggling with ni****ne dependence.

Long-Term Initiatives (2028–2031):

We will lobby state actors for structural enforcement of the WHO Framework Convention on To***co Control (FCTC) within local government by-laws and construct a civil-society digital monitoring network to track and block under-the-counter online v**e distribution networks targeting youth.

We call on the government, academic institutions, religious bodies, and parents to join us in unmasking this commercial exploitation. Our future generations are not up for sale.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Community And Family Aid Foundation-Ghana Rallies Actions on Menstrual Hygiene Day 2026 to Build a

ACCRA, GHANA — May 28, 2026 —Thursday- Today, the Community And Family Aid Foundation-Ghana (CAFAF-Ghana) joins the global community to commemorate International Menstrual Hygiene Day 2026. Guided by the global theme, “Together for a ,” and the national sub-theme, “Together for a Period-Friendly Ghana,” CAFAF-Ghana is making an urgent call to action. The organization aims to break local cultural taboos, eliminate period poverty, and ensure that menstruation is treated as a basic human right rather than a source of shame.
The Menstrual Hygiene Reality: Global, Regional, and National Data

The stark divide between policy frameworks and daily reality highlights an ongoing crisis across all demographics:

The Global Situation: On any given day, an estimated 800 million women and girls are menstruating worldwide. Shockingly, millions lack basic access to clean water, private toilets, and affordable sanitary products. Destructive stigmas continue to restrict the mobility, education, and bodily autonomy of young girls globally.

The African Situation: Across Sub-Saharan Africa, 1 in 10 adolescent girls miss school during their monthly cycle due to a lack of safe menstrual hygiene management (MHM) tools. Compounding the crisis, a mere 11% of schools across the subcontinent possess adequate menstrual waste disposal facilities, leaving girls exposed to health risks and emotional distress.

The Ghanaian Situation: Data compiled by UNICEF Ghana reveals that 27.5% of adolescent girls in Ghana miss school specifically because of their periods. While the government’s Free Sanitary Pads Initiative is a welcome step, severe infrastructure gaps persist: 1.9 million schoolchildren lack basic water facilities and 1.8 million lack access to toilets in their schools. Furthermore, 31% of young girls in Ghana have never received any formal menstrual health education, leaving them vulnerable to deep-seated social isolation.

CAFAF-Ghana’s Strategic Action Plan

To bridge these gaps, CAFAF-Ghana is deploying an integrated roadmap divided into short-term interventions and long-term sustainable frameworks.

Short-Term Goals (1–12 Months)

Emergency Dignity Distributions: Dispatching 10,000 eco-friendly, reusable hygiene kits to vulnerable schoolgirls in rural communities across Ghana.

Water and Sanitation Rehabilitation: Restoring private, gender-segregated toilet spaces and handwashing stations in ten targeted public junior high schools.

Community Sensitization Caravans: Launching localized, multi-language educational drives to dismantle period myths among traditional leaders, boys, and parents.

Long-Term Goals (2–5 Years)

Grassroots Manufacturing: Establishing localized, low-cost production units for biodegradable sanitary towels to foster community job creation and secure affordable supply chains.

Curriculum Advocacy: Partnering with Ghana’s Ministry of Education to embed mandatory reproductive health and menstrual literacy into national primary school curriculums.

National Data Tracking Systems: Collaborating with civil society networks to build robust tracking frameworks that register and support vulnerable, out-of-school girls who are often left behind by multi-sectoral planning.

Executive Commentary

"Menstruation is a normal, natural biological process, yet millions of Ghanaian girls continue to pay a tax on their dignity every month," stated the Executive Director of CAFAF-Ghana. "We cannot build a or a prosperous nation when a quarter of our future female leaders are forced to choose between their education and their basic bodily needs.

CAFAF-Ghana is fully committed to breaking the silence, upgrading school infrastructure, and turning period equity into an undeniable reality across our country."

About Community And Family Aid Foundation-Ghana (CAFAF-Ghana)

Community And Family Aid Foundation-Ghana is a non-governmental organization dedicated to improving the health, educational access, and socioeconomic welfare of vulnerable women, children, and families across rural and peri-urban Ghana.

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Media Contact:

The Communications Directorate
Community And Family Aid Foundation-Ghana (CAFAF-Ghana)
Accra, Ghana

Email: [email protected] |

Website: www.cafafghana.org