The Southern Zone Manager of the Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG), Nana Ama Sam, has called on Queen-mothers to intensify efforts to help reduce maternal mortality rate.

She said increased population and the expansion of their communities called for more efforts from the queen-mothers to reach many women, especially young ladies with relevant information and messages, to help them practice safe sex and avoid unwanted pregnancies and unsafe abortions.

Nana Ama was interacting with some queen-mothers in the Eastern Region in Koforidua, engaged under the PPAG/Ipas Reduction of Maternal Mortality and Mobility through the Queen-mothers Project.

Eastern Region has high fertility rate, low usage of contraceptives and over 100 women die annually from child-related births, including unsafe abortions.

Under the project, the Queen-mothers, selected from nine districts, are expected to use their positions to educate people in their communities to avoid unsafe abortionS to help reduce maternal mortality in the region.

The districts are the New Juaben, Yilo Krobo, Lower Manya Krobo, Suhum, and Birim South.

The rest are Birim Central, Kwaebibirim, Kwahu South and Kwahu Afram Plains North districts.

The first phase of the project, which started in 2011, ended last year and the second phase started this year.

Nana Ama urged the queen-mothers to see themselves as development partners in the country and, therefore, charged them to set up development projects that would impact on young ladies within their communities.