AESDA, NGO to establish peer education clubs in schools

Awutu-Bawjiase (C/R), July 13, GNA - Intervention Forum (IF), an Accra-based non-governmental organisation (NGO), is to team up with the Awutu-Effutu-Senya District Assembly to establish peer educators clubs in selected schools in the district to combat the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Miss Nora Akosoa Ollennu, National President of the organisation, announced this when she led executive officers of the group's anti-HIV/AIDS campaign to Awutu-Bawjiase on Sunday.

According to Miss Ollennu, leaders of the organisation had already formed two of such clubs at Awutu-Obrachire and Odumasi Junior Secondary Schools, which were functioning satisfactorily.

She said apart from the peer educators clubs, the organisation had plans to launch a massive market-to-market education to sensitise traders on the dangers posed by the disease with the view to limiting its spread.

She called for co-operation from the District Assembly and organised groups, especially women's groups to ensure the successful implementation of educational activities initiated by the Intervention Forum in the area.

Other speakers at the launching ceremony were Mr Samuel Asiedu of the District Assembly, Dr Johnson Agbezukey, Medical Assistant in-charge of the Bawjiase Community Health Centre, Barimah Owusu-Kwarteng a veteran writer, and Miss Monica Effinah, Midwife of the Bawjiase Health Centre, and Nana Abosompim, Awutu-Obrachierehene.

All the speakers reiterated the need for stakeholders in the society to actively involve themselves in the anti-AIDS educational campaign to help protect the youth in particular against the disease so that they could take over the mantle of nation building when it reached their time.

Dr Agbezukey appealed to the District Assembly to help the Bawjiase Health Centre to procure HIV/AIDS testing equipment to save people in the area the trouble of travelling to Winneba and Accra for AIDS tests. Mr Frank Amewugah, a tutor at Accra Academy who presided, urged organisations engaged in the HIV/AIDS campaigns to step up their activities to supplement national efforts at curbing the spread of the deadly pandemic.