Wa, July 28, GNA - The Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC), has committed 100,000 Ghana cedis to fight HIV/AIDS in the Upper West Region. The Society for Women and AIDS in Africa (SWAA), a non governmental organisation, is collaborating with GAC to implement programmes aimed at reducing the spread of the disease.

SWAA, through its local partner organizations and implementing agencies, hopes to reach 15,000 out of school youth, 1,500 youth in school and 200,000 adults including people who had concurrent sexual partners, sexual transmitted diseases and tuberculosis in its sensitization programmes. Mrs Cecelia Lodonu-Sam, President of SWAA Ghana, said this when her organization signed a contract with six local partner organizations at a stakeholders meeting at Wa on Tuesday. Under the project about 250,000 condoms would also be distributed and it is expected that 5,000 people would be counselled and tested for the virus.

Mrs Lodonu-Sam said 60 per cent of the amount would be disbursed to the organizations selected to implement the programme made up of Positive Action against Poverty and Centre for Community Participation. The others are Sunbawiera Foundation and Youth Alive, Langmaale Centre for Rural Development Initiative and the Wa Diocese HIV/AIDS Programme. Mrs Lodonu-Sam explained that her organization was invited by GAC to lend its expertise in fighting the disease because some districts in the region were witnessing a surge in its prevalence despite the continued reduction in other parts of the country. She said her organization, among several achievements, had allayed the fears and removed misconceptions surrounding the use of the female condom which had been distributed to over 100,000 men and women. Mrs Lodonu-Sam said over 3,000 community members had also been empowered to overcome socio-cultural barriers with regards to reproductive health activities.

She said SWAA Ghana had supported 500 women living with HIV/AIDS and created awareness on it to over 10,000 people including policy makers through advocacy and sensitization programmes. 28 July 09