NGOs organizes programme to reduce HIV/AIDS stigma

Accra, Aug 18, GNA - The Concern Health Education Project, an NGO in collaboration with SEND Ghana has organized a programme for Districts Citizens Monitoring Committee (DCMCs) to reduce HIV and AIDS stigmatization and discrimination in the La Dade Kotopon Municipality.

The programme is also to step up education on issues of HIV stigma and discrimination among key populations and vulnerable groups.

SEND GHANA and its partners have been working to support health development through their innovative approaches of DCMCs to educate communities in the area of HIV, Malaria, Nutrition/ Breastfeeding , Family Planning , Water and Sanitation through the USAID funded People for Health project.

Mr Siapha Kamara, the Chief Of Party of People for Health, speaking at the ceremony presented the DCMC to Mrs Gladys Tsotsoo Mann-Dedey, the Chief Executive Officer of the La Dade Kotopon Municipal Assembly(LaDMA).

Mr Kamara, also the Chief Executive Officer of SEND-West-Africa explained that the DCMCs was made up of representative of the Assembly, Municipal Health Representatives, Youth Groups , Religious Bodies, Women Groups, persons with disability Groups, Representative of elected Assembly members and other key affected populations selected from the community of LaDMA.

Mr Kamara outlined the core objectives of the DCMCs including strengthening technical and leadership capacity of CSOs to advocate and organize communities and empower civil society to engage citizens to demand and participate in health service delivery.

Other project related areas included the UN-AIDS Project of Protecting 'the Goal Campaign' which focuses on preventing HIV and AIDS.

Mrs Jane Okran, community support adviser, pledged her support to the ongoing People for Health Project by the SEND Ghana team as it aims to promote the understating and reduction of Stigma and Discrimination of HIV.

Mrs Mann-Dedey applauded the formation of the DCMCs as a timely CSO platform that would support development in her community to promote health service delivery to monitor good governance practices not only on health but also on other sectors of development.

She assured the Concern Health Education and SEND Ghana of her commitment to supporting the project.

In 2016 the Concern Health Education, and the La Dade Kotopon Municipal Assembly together with SEND Ghana entered into a working relationship to provide directions to educate communities in the area of HIV AND AIDS, Malaria prevention, Family planning, Nutrition and Sanitation related issues, a key component of the People For Health Project under the support of the USAID.

GNA

By Kodjo Adams, GNA