JICA making development strides at Birim North District

New Abirem, July 3, GNA - The Birim North District Chief Executive, Mr Napoleon Amoako Asiamah has commended the Japanese International Corporation Agency (JICA) for the giant steps it has taken to help the district in its developmental agenda.

Mr Asiamah gave the commendation at New Abirem in the Eastern Region, during a programme organised by the Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG) in collaboration with JICA, the Ghana Health Service, Ghana Education Service and supported by Sony Corporation of Japan to create public awareness on HIV/AIDS prevention. Mr Asiamah said JICA's successful implementation of an integrated project, which involved the promotion of school health, outreach clinics and environmental activities facilitated the district rural health improvement programme.

He said JICA selected 20 communities and collaborated with the PPAG to introduce income generating activities, Micro- Financing, family planning and HIV/AIDS prevention through education (HAPE) project. The Chief JICA Representative in Ghana Mr Kunihro Yamauchi said the HAPE project equipped young people with knowledge and skills to motivate them to make informed decisions.

He said the youth would be in the position to engage in activities that would help them to lead healthy lives, whether they are living with HIV or not.

A senior producer of SONY, Mr Tsukasa Yoshimura, explained that a programme dubbed: "JICA and SONY for the next generation in Ghana 2009" aims at sensitizing the youth on the HIV/AIDS pandemic to facilitate the Millennium Development Goals.

Mr Yoshimura said under the project, SONY's latest high resolution projection system would be sent to HAPE project sites for public viewing of events that could enhance the HAPE HIV/AIDS education project.