Obuasi, July 13, GNA - A number of groups including non-governmental organisations, churches and community-base organisations (CBOs) have intensified their public education and awareness campaign on HIV/AIDS at Obuasi and its environs.

This follows the continued spread of the disease in the area as well as the prominent position Obuasi occupies on the HIV/AIDS prevalence table. Obuasi is said have the second highest rate in the Ashanti Region and fourth in the country.

The latest organisation to join the campaign was the Water and Sanitation Health Team (WASHT), an Obuasi-based NGO, which was working solely to promote water and sanitation in rural areas.

With funds from the Ghana AIDS Commission, WASHT had trained 20 peer educators to assist in the educational and awareness programmes in four communities in and around Obuasi. The communities are Boete, Pomposo, Akapoliso and Akrofuom.

Inaugurating the peer educators after their four-day intensive training at a ceremony at Akapoliso, near Obuasi, the Adansi West District Chief Executive, Mr Joe Boampong in a speech read for him noted that the training of the peer educators formed part of strategy and structures put in place to manage the pandemic in the district. "The peer educators inauguration is a positive effort to assist in sending the message across to everybody, especially the youth who are most affected by the disease, he said.

Mr Boampong expressed his disapproval about the lukewarm attitude towards those infected by the disease, stressing that, "the stigmatisation and discrimination attached to People Living with AIDS (PLWHA) is really disheartening."

Dr Samuel Osei Somuah, District Director of Health Services in a speech read for him observed that the knowledge acquired on HIV/AIDS should influence the peer educators' lifestyles to enable them to become real ambassadors of the pandemic.

He reiterated the need for the educators to assist the already established structures to spread the message in the communities. Mr Luke Adu-Gyamfi, WASHT Project Co-ordinator said the team had added HIV/AIDS to its programme because of the rate at which ages between 19 and 45 were being affected by the disease. The peer educators were later presented with certificates.