NGO goes to aid of children living with HIV/AIDS

Accra, Sept. 25, GNA - About 25,000 children between the ages 0 and 14 years are living with HIV and AIDS in Ghana, according to a UNAIDS epidemic update of 2006.

It is also estimated that less than 10 per cent of these infected children have access to antiretroviral drugs. Mrs Stella Afriyie-Ankrah, HIV/AIDS Consultant for Woyome Foundation for Africa, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) working to provide support and protection for infected and vulnerable children, made this known when the foundation launched its maiden One-For-One campaign in Accra on Tuesday. The One-For-One campaign was intended to raise funds to procure drugs, food supplement and boosters for infected children in Ghana. She said children infected by the virus had a greater need for health services as "poverty and unemployment of their parents or care givers often put them at high risk of dying before accessing health needs".

Mrs. Afriyie-Ankrah said the Foundation was targeting the working class and other influential personalities and that an account had been created with SG-SSB: 0142010059190 where contributors could channel their donation.

She said a number of collection points had been mounted at various shopping malls, designated churches and associations. Mr. Daniel Dugan, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs, noted that statistics on the pandemic were not encouraging and were worse for the developing world. He said the UN system reported that sub-Saharan Africa recorded 2.3 children living with HIV/AIDS.

Mr Dugan said stigmatisation continued to worsen the plight of child victims and called for effective programmes on prevention and care to control the spread of the pandemic. He lauded the effort of the NGO at supplement government's activities in the area of care and support for People Living with HIV/AIDS.