The event, which coincided with the “Know Your Status Campaign Month” in the District, was on the theme “Accelerating Rural Development through HIV and AIDS Awareness and Prevention.” Six nurses from various health centres in the District, lead by Mrs. Monica Obi Yemoley of Osudoku Health Centre voluntarily conducted the counselling and testing.
The session was organised by WillWay Africa, a non-governmental organisation working in rural communities in Ghana, in collaboration with MTV Staying Alive Foundation with support from the Ghana Health Service and local communities.
It was well patronised by the expectant community folk who had been looking forward to the programme after an impressive education and sensitisation campaign last year, which got the people longing to know their status.
Expressing his gratitude to the directors of WillWay Africa, the volunteers and the nurses, Mr. George Lovi Akakposu, Assembly Member for the Kasunya Electoral Area, said, “It is good you have come here with this programme; otherwise, most of the people cannot afford the lorry fare to the health centres, even if the test is free there.”
He added that, “This is the first time many of my people will really know their HIV status, and I believe whatever the result is, it will help them to lead better lives.” He thus encouraged his people to get tested.
In all, 312 people made up of 106 women, 93 men and 113 youth tested and got to know their HIV status at the end of the session. Mrs. Yemoley was happy about the rate of response and praised WillWay Africa for the effective preparation of the people toward the event. She advised parents to protect their young children from early sex to avoid contracting the disease.
She said, “The turnout is great in a community like Kasunya where there is no HIV and AIDS programme. It would have been higher but for the heavy rainfall.” Mrs. Yemoley noted that the programme needed to be repeated every six months.
The people who got tested walked away from the nurses’ desks with radiant faces, fully sure they were HIV-free. Many of them who were interviewed said they would now lead more careful lifestyles to maintain their status.
Mainly, the results were negative, with two positive cases that were referred to the Osudoku Health Centre for confirmation and medical support.
Francis Hamenaya, who led the local wing of WillWay Youth to educate the community people about the disease, outlined his group’s plans to sustain the campaign to fight the disease.
He stated, “We will continue with our house-to-house visits to share the message with the people.”
The community people called for a repeat of the event to allow their neighbours, partners, friends and relations know their status as well, particularly those who could not have their turn because of the rainfall that disrupted the programme.
Samuel Ohene Kwapong, President of WillWay Africa, explained that the Osudoku Traditional Area was purposefully selected for the programme because it was underserved with such programmes. He added that the absence of such programmes rendered the people vulnerable to the spread of the virus because the high level of poverty that afflicted the people already put them at risk.
He said, “Nobody can justify why HIV and AIDS campaigners have ignored the communities in the Osudoku Traditional Area. The difficulty of reaching the area is no excuse since all are at risk, particularly because of the widespread poverty in the area.”
WillWay Africa works with rural communities in the areas of health, economic empowerment, education and the environment. The organisation was founded in 2004 by a group of university graduates to help reduce rural poverty, and bridge the gap between rural and urban dwellers.
The day's event formed part of a series of activities the organisation has planned for the year, and will continue in other communities. Earlier, an HIV and AIDS cultural festival was held for basic schools in the same area. Other scheduled activities include HIV and AIDS quiz competitions for school pupils with the intent of informing the children while young to live safely all their lives.
The year’s programme is targeted to reach 4,000 rural dwellers with HIV and AIDS messages, and also give them the opportunity to know their HIV status right at their doorsteps.
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