Nsuta (E/R), Aug. 2, GNA - For the years that the campaign against the HIV virus and the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) has been raging on in the country, many people of Nsuta, a crop farming village in the Eastern Region remain unaware of the mode of transmission of the dreadful disease.

This was openly displayed at a forum on the sensitisation of "Safe Motherhood" practices, organised by Tema-based Humanitarian Youth International (HYI), a Non-Governmental Organisation, held for the community on Friday.

Soon after Madam Esther Opoku Larbie, a Senior Nursing Officer of the Akwapim Mampong District Health Administration had lectured the chief and people of the village on the programme including the HIV/AIDS and its mode of transmission, a man from the audience surged forward and shook hands with the resource person.

"Madam, I thank you very much for letting us know how the disease is contracted, we only know of sex and nothing else, but for this programme we would have continued to remain in the dark", Opanin Kofi Ayensu remarked to the applause of the people indicating their support for him, while he went back and folded his hands on his chest standing quietly.

Madam Larbie had educated the forum on the devastating effect of contracting the dreadful disease and said apart from sex that was the major contributor, the use of common razors, syringes and injection needles among others are also factors.

The Senior Nursing Officer advised the parents against forcing their teenage daughters into early marriage since it has its related problems, as they finally become liabilities rather than assets on society.

Madam Larbie, therefore, asked the teenagers, particularly the girls, to abstain from sex and rather concentrate on their education until they become matured enough to fend for themselves. To ensure that they got the right medication for their ailments, she entreated them to refrain from buying drugs from peddlers who are equally ignorant but seek medical attention or buy from licensed pharmacy shops.

Mr. Seth Kwabena Odame, assemblyman for Akyeremanteng electoral area said the village was experiencing a lot of teenage pregnancies resulting in school drop-outs and appealed to the NGO to sustain the programme and come to their aid with some of the income generating projects to help them earn a living.

Mr. George Medie, Executive Director of the HYI advised the people to form "Safe Motherhood" committees to mobilise funds to support one another, especially to educate children of the teenagers. He called the adults to muster the courage to discipline the youth regardless of the fact that they are not biological children, so that they do not indulge in social vices, which only make them become premature adults.

Mr Medie said the HYI has drawn up a programme to assist the youth to venture into income generating projects to make a living.

Nana Ohene Yaw, chief of the village told the GNA in an interview that he would convene a meeting and impress on the people to seriously abide by the advice given at the forum to help improve upon their lives. "We are happy about this programme because this is the first time we have had an in-depth education of a programme like this".