Virgin Clubs formed in Mfantseman District

Saltpond (CR), Dec 28, GNA - The Wife of the District Chief Executive for Mfantseman, Mrs Abena Quainoo-Arthur, has formed Virgin Clubs in a number of communities in the District as a means of protecting the youth from HIV/AIDS.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency in an interview at Saltpond, Mrs Quainoo-Arthur said she was moved to join the HIV/AIDS campaign when she saw films on people living with the disease and read about how it was "sweeping away" families in some countries.

She said school dropouts in the Clubs were given the necessary encouragement and assistance to go back to school while those who were not interested were given vocational skills.

Mrs Quainoo-Arthur said some of them were given financial assistance after their training to establish their businesses. She said since poverty had been identified as the underlying factor for sexual promiscuity, she was making the necessary contacts with the financial institutions in the area for micro-credit facility for members of the groups.

Mrs Quainoo-Arthur said girls who have broken their virginity but had realised their mistakes and wanted to abstain from sex until they were married were welcome to join the Clubs.

She said apart from the skill training, talks, film shows and lectures were arranged for members of the Clubs to make them to realise how devastating the HIV/AIDS pandemic was and appealed to donor agencies to support the clubs.