MURAG to improve nutrition of people with HIV/AIDS

Wa, Sept. 22, GNA - Muslim Relief Association of Ghana (MURAG), a Muslim non-governmental organisation (NGO), would within the next 12 months spend A2220 million cedis to improve the nutritional status of people living with HIV/AIDS in 20 districts in the Upper East, Upper West and Northern Regions.

The NGO had also constructed six blocks of three-classrooms in Yendi, Savelugu and Sankpang in the Northern Region and Bawku and Sandema in the Upper East Regions to promote education in these areas. Mr Halid Baba Yahaya, National Co-ordinator of MURAG, announced these at Wa on Tuesday, when he addressed an HIV/AIDS advocacy seminar for 20 peer educators made up of classroom teachers, social workers and opinion leaders from the Wa Municipality.

He said MURAG was committed to assisting people infected with HIV/AIDS to live dignified lives.

Mr Yahaya, who also inaugurated a five-member monitoring committee of MURAG for the Upper West Region, said the NGO was supporting about 120 needy but brilliant students to enable them to complete their education.

He said the NGO would extend the assistance to cover HIV/AIDS orphans to improve their welfare and to enable them to acquired skills and knowledge required for national development. Mr Yahaya said: "Teachers are also being resourced to give off their best in bringing up children so that they can become useful citizens in the future".

He said the NGO had developed syllabus for the teaching of Arabic in Islamic schools throughout the country while Islamic scholars had also been urged to produce textbooks in the Language for lower primary schools.

Mr William Niyuni, Wa Municipal focal person on HIV/AIDS, urged relatives of people infected with HIV/AIDS to show compassion and seek their welfare so that they could live longer.

He said: "We need to involve people with HIV/AIDS in committees, groups, social clubs, development programmes and human rights activities so that they will feel that they also belong to society." Mr William Niyuni called on the participants to join the fight against HIV/AIDS and advised the youth to stay away from pre-marital sex since the disease was acquired mainly through sex. The committee members Madam Amamata Mumuni, Madam Jamila Issah, Mr Sani Nayaro, Mr Jonas Kunsaabayel and William Niyuni who would monitor and recommend programmes to facilitate the fight against HIV/AIDS.