NGO providing support to 55 PLWHAs

Bekwai (Ash), Feb. 26, GNA- The Network for Health and Relief Foundation, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), is currently offering care and support to 55 HIV/AIDS patients and 255 orphans and vulnerable children within the Amansie East District in the Ashanti Region. The Foundation, which started operations in the District since 2000, is the only NGO that is providing care and support for People Living with the HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs).

Mr Samuel Oracca-Tetteh, Executive Director of the Foundation, who disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency at Bekwai, explained that the support were in the areas of nutrition, medicine and education. He said with support from the National AIDS Control Programme (NACP), the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC), the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and Care International, the Foundation had been able to empower PLWHAs to embark on income-generating activities. The Executive Director said at present they were making frantic efforts to establish an orphanage so that the Foundation could provide adequate care for the orphans.

According to Mr Oracca-Tetteh, the various caretakers were not having enough time for the orphans hence the idea to go into orphanage management to enable these unfortunate children to get maximum care and support.

Mr Oracca-Tetteh said the NGO was in the process of securing land for the project. "We have written to the District Assembly and the Traditional Council for land". He said the project was capital intensive and called for support from all well-meaning individuals and organizations, stressing, "the project bothered on charity".

He appealed to the public to have sympathy for orphans and other vulnerable children in the society since they could become great assets for the development of the nation.