Awutu Beraku (C/R), Dec. 9, GNA - Directors of the Ghana Renaissance Foundation (GRF), a non-governmental organisation (NGO) based at Winneba, has organized a special quiz competition on HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other killer diseases for eleven junior secondary schools (JSS) in the Awutu-Effutu-Senya District of the Central Region at Awutu-Beraku.

The schools included Awutu-Beraku District Council (D/C) JSS, Jei-Krodua Anglican JSS A and B, Osae Krodua D/C JSS, Senya-Beraku AME Zion JSS, Akweiley Anglican JSS, and Winneba AME Zion JSS. Addressing participants, Mr Sampson Kweku Apraku, former Member of Parliament for Krachi, charged the youth who have not attained the marriage age to completely abstain from sex to protect them against HIV/AIDS because abstinence was the most reliable means of avoiding the dreaded disease.

Mr Apraku charged them to use the coming Christmas festivities to sensitise their peers on the dangers of the disease to enable them to accomplish their educational pursuits and also to live longer. Mr Frank Ekow Longdon, Executive Secretary of the GRF took participants through the prevalence rates in the various regions and some districts and cautioned school children, particularly those in their teens, to avoid sex completely.

Mr Longdon praised President John Agyekum Kufuor and Professor Sakyi Awuku-Amoah, Director of the Ghana AIDS Commission, for their inspiring leadership role in the national crusade against the HIV/AIDS and asked Ghanaians to complement their efforts by eschewing sexual promiscuity to curb the spread of the disease. Jei-Krodua Anglican JSS A and B captured the first and the second positions, with Awutu D/C JSS and Winneba A.M.E. Zion JSS also occupying the third and forth places, respectively.

The schools were given special prizes in addition to personal prizes that were awarded to all the 22 participants.