Kobina Ansah (C/R), Sept. 29, GNA 96 Participants at an HIV/AIDS workshop at Kobina Ansah near Yamoransa in the Central Region have suggested to the Ghana AIDS commission to shift attention from awareness creation about HIV/AIDS to skills training for the unemployed. The participants were of the view that enough education had been given about the disease but the lack of skills to make the people self-depended had forced many to indulge in unprotected sex, which was the major mode of the spread of the disease.

Miss Faustina Eghan, spokesperson for the participants said 93we are aware that abstinence from sex is the best method of avoiding the disease, but how can we say no to the men who cater for our daily bread when they demand sex=94.

The workshop was organized by HIV/AIDS Fighters, a Mankessim based community-based organization (CBO) and funded by the Ghana AIDS Commission.

Miss Eghan urged the Commission to channel resources for awareness creation into the training of the unemployed youths to acquire skills and also to support them with loans to establish their own businesses. They commended the CBO for training them in batik making and gari processing but urged the organization to provide them with start-up capital.

Mrs Felicia Mensah, Director of the CBO advised the participants to put to a good use the skills they had acquired to make them become self-reliant.

Mr Patrick S Mensah, Coordinator, urged them to go for voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) to know their HIV status and to enable them to take the necessary steps to prolong their lifespan. Earlier, Mr Robert Arthur, Secretary, took the participants through causes, symptoms and prevention of the disease.

Thirty participants, aged between 15 and 25 years from Akoanso and Kobina Ansah attended the workshop.