"Love life caravan" makes last stop over in Ghana

Elubo (W/R), June 17, GNA- The 2008 edition of the "Love life caravan" to check the spread of HIV/Aids pandemic in five countries in the West African sub-region, entered its last lap with a well attended awareness function at Elubo, the caravan's last stop-over in Ghana on Sunday.

About 100 million people particularly "the mobile population" are expected to benefit from sensitisation, voluntary counselling and testing of HIV/AIDS, preventive, care and support activities, during the 2,000 kilometre journey through Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana and Cote de' Ivoire, referred to as the Abidjan-Lagos corridor. The programme started in May 30 and scheduled to end in June 21, 2008, with the theme: "HIV/AIDS-free corridor; time to make a difference".

The programme, which is being sponsored by the World Bank, the Global Fund and the UN-AIDS programme, is also aimed at fighting against stigmatization and discrimination of people living with HIV/AIDS and also strengthen collaboration with major stakeholders to prevent the spread of the pandemic.

At the function at Elubo, the large crowd, including chiefs, leaders of the various religious organisation, opinion leaders as well as members of educational and other public and private institutions were treated to music and drama by local and foreign artists. They were given free educational materials, Tee shirts, caps, key holders and condoms as souvenirs.

Dr. Koffi Justin, Executive Secretary of the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Organisation stressed the need for collaborative efforts to check the spread of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, because the disease was having a toll on the socio-economic life of people in the sub-region. He advised the people to lead responsible sexual lives and avoid behaviours that could lead to contracting the disease. Mr. Harvey De Hardt-Kaffils, Communication Specialist of the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Organisation appealed to stakeholders to do more to check the spread of the pandemic. He said the caravan would next move to Cote d' Ivoire on Monday, where it would make stop over's at Noe, Aboisso, Bonoua and Abidjan, to end the journey of the "Love life caravan" for 2008.