Koforidua, Sept. 1, GNA - The New Juaben Municipal Assembly is to increase its budgetary allocation for 2010 to enable it adequately support HIV/AIDS Prevention through Education (HAPE) in the area. Mr Alex Asamoah, the Municipal Chief Executive of the Assembly, who made the commitment on Tuesday at a durbar organized for the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in Koforidua, said the measure was to raise the mandated 0.5 of the Common Fund meant for HIV/AIDS activities.

He assured JICA that the Assembly would collaborate with all implementing agencies to sustain the project so as to reduce the spread of the disease.

Mr Asamoah said through the collaborative efforts of JICA over the years, HIV/AIDs pandemic has reduced significantly especially, among the youth in the Eastern Region.

He thanked the JICA and HAPE for their massive support and said the Assembly alone could not have achieved that feat. Hitherto HIV/AIDS prevalence rate in the Eastern Region from the sentinel surveillance report has always been high in spite of downward trends at the national level.

In 2005, JICA alarmed with the high infection rate in New Juaben established the HAPE project, which was implemented by the Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG) in 10 selected Districts with high prevalent rate in the region. The aim was to prevent new infections among young people through qualitative programmes.

After four years of implementation, JICA/PPAG entrusted the project into the hands of the Assembly leaving with logistics support. Mrs Patricia Kodjoe, New Juaben Municipal Coordinator of the PPAG, said JICA chose the area because it ranked high in the prevalence rate. She said the volunteers, who were selected among teachers, community elders and opinion leaders were given appropriate training to assist in the implementation of the project.

Nana Adjei Boateng, the immediate past MCE and many others, who helped JICA/PPAG in their four-year stay in the Municipality, were later rewarded for their contributions to the sustenance of the project.