Ketan (W/R), May 24, GNA - Forty women from eight communities in the Shama Ahanta East Metropolis, on Monday began a five-day training workshop at Ketan to equip themselves with basic knowledge and skills in information dissemination on the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

After the training, the participants would act as peer educators in their various communities to help check the spread of the disease and its attendant effects on the country's socio-economic development. They were selected from Abassa, Bowohomodzen, Ketan, Aboadze, Nchaban, Anaji, Agric and Mpeasem.

Life Compassionate Organisation, a Takoradi-based Non-governmental Organisation (NGO) with support from the Ghana AIDS Commission is organising the workshop.

Mr. George Kelvin Kuofi, executive coordinator of the NGO said participants who would serve as agents of change, would be taken through topics including care and support for people living with Aids at community and personal levels.

Others are basic facts about HIV/AIDS, the essence of group formation and its benefits and developing women's capacity for a healthy community.

Mr. Kuofi said the workshop would also educate participants to help to correct some misconceptions about the pandemic in some communities, and added that, some of these misconceptions had contributed to the spread of the disease.

Mr. Michael Kingsford Cobbinah, Western regional First Aid coordinator, opening the workshop called for effective coordination among stakeholders in the efforts to check the spread of the disease. He advised the participants to take the workshop more seriously to enhance their knowledge to enable them to provide accurate information on the HIV/AIDS to members of their communities.