Regional News of Thursday, 18 March 2004

Source: GNA

SARA club inaugurated at Kufour JSS

Nkawie (Ash), March 18, GNA- The Stay in School, Abstain From Sex, Remember AIDS Is Real and Abstinence Is The Way to Prevent AIDS (SARA) club, was on Friday inaugurated at the Kuffour Junior Secondary School at Nkawie in the Atwima district.

The club would educate the pupils on the dangers of HIV/AIDS, create awareness about the existence of the disease and its negative effect on health.

Mr Asare Bediako, an Assistant Director of Education at the Atwima district education office, who inaugurated the club, said its formation of the club was timely because statistics had shown that the youth were the most vulnerable and hardest hit by the pandemic.

He said it was therefore important for the pupils to have a fair knowledge about the disease, its causes and how to prevent it and asked the teachers to regularly meet the children and discuss the disease. Mr Bediako charged the club members to show very keen interest in its activities and carry the message about the pandemic to their peers who were not members.

Miss Comfort Badu, an assistant director of education in-charge of Early Childhood Education, said SARA had become necessary in view of the high fertility rate of adolescents in the country as well as the equally high sexual drive.

Miss Agnes Kesewa, the promoter of SARA at the Kuffour JSS said the club would apart from educating the youth to abstain from sex, also educate parents to send their children to school.