Chief expresses concern about rising cases of HIV/AIDS in rural areas

Hohoe, May 29, GNA- Togbega Delume VII, Paramount Chief of the Ve Traditional Area, has expressed concern over reports of the rising rate of HIV/AIDS infection in the rural areas, when the national prevalent rate was going down.

He said the trend was a challenge to all stakeholders to re-double their efforts to reverse the situation.

Togbega Delume made the observation at a stakeholder's workshop organized at Hohoe by the Ghana Rural Action Support Programme (GRASP), a reproductive health and child survival non-governmental organisation (NGO).

Mr Eric Pongo, Executive Director of GRASP said the organisation would actively collaborate with government agencies and other partners to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS and eventually bring the prevalent rate down in the Ve and Leklebi areas of the Hohoe District. He said GRASP was extending the HIV/AIDS awareness drive to the Upper Manya-Krobo District in the Eastern Region and Mankessim and Elmina in the Central Region.

Mr Pongo said GRASP was also sponsoring the education of 16 brilliant but needy girls in basic schools under its Girl-Child Education Project in the Leklebi and Ve communities in the Volta Region. Togbega Agboka VI, Paramount Chief of the Leklebi Traditional Area who formally launched the Girls Education Sponsorship Project of the NGO noted that parents who invested in the education of their girls would not regret it in future.