AYAP Delegates Arrive for Launch of Programme.

Delegates of the African Youth Alliance Project (AYAP) have started arriving in the country for the formal launching of its programme on Tuesday.

The AYAP is an adolescent sexual and reproductive programme, which is aimed at reducing the incidence and spread of HIV/AIDS/STIs and improving the overall quality of life of the adolescent.

Activities under the project include education programme in both rural and urban areas, peer counselling for young people in and out of school, assessable quality reproductive and skills training.

Among the first to arrive were three members of Pathfinder International (PI) led by its President, Mr Dan Pellegram and includes Elizabeth Lule, Vice President of PI Africa and Audey Elster AYAP programme manager.

Speaking to newsmen on arrival, Ms Elster said AYAP is already in four African countries including Tanzania, Botswana and others where HIV/AIDS is very high among the adolescent.

She said the project is being implemented through a partnership arrangement involving UNFPA, PI, and Path for Appropriate Technology in Health and public and private organisation in Ghana.

She said the Bill and Merlinder Gates Foundation of the US is funding the project with a grant of 14 million dollars, spread over four years.

The group will be working with other NGO's, which have already initiated similar projects throughout the country. " We chose Ghana this time because the epidemic has not reached an alarming level like Uganda and some East African countries and we want to curb it before it gets worse'', Ms.Elster said.

She said they are determined to help the adolescent change their lifestyles and stick to one partner to bring down the rate of spread of the disease.