Manso-Nkwanta (Ash.), April 25, GNA - Mr Ben Kwakye-Adeefe, the acting District Chief Executive for Amansie-West, has called for the stepping up of the anti-AIDS education campaign in the country to protect people from getting infected.

"We should simply not keep quiet over actions, attitudes and behaviour that put people at risk of contracting HIV-AIDS". Mr Kwakye-Adeefe was launching the Community Collaborative Care and Support Project at the Saint Martin's Hospital at Agroyesum in the district.

The project, a joint initiative of the Catholic Relief Services, Academy for Educational Development and the Obuasi Catholic Diocese, is providing support for people living with the disease so as to help them lead normal lives.

The acting District Chief Executive said the assembly, between 2002 and 2004, made available a total of 60 million cedis to assist in the fight to prevent the spread of the disease in the area. He said it would continue to collaborate with genuine Community-Based Organisations (CBOs) and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) working to bring down the rate of the HIV-AIDS infection. Mr Thomas Frimpong, the Project Co-ordinator, said under the project AIDS patients and children orphaned by the disease are being cared for.

He said apart from the Obuasi Catholic Diocese, it is also being implemented in the Koforidua and Sekondi-Takoradi dioceses. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is providing the funding. 25 April 05