A total of 1,062 people in rural communities and deprived Senior High Schools (SHSs) in the Upper West Region have received education and sensitisation on Human Immuno-Deficiency Virus (HIV) and the Hepatitis B and C diseases.
The beneficiaries comprised 613 rural community members and 449 SHS students to enable them to have a clearer understanding of those diseases, mode of transmission and impact on their lives if they contracted them.
The initiative, dubbed: “Know Your Status”, was an education and prevention awareness campaign by Sahara Advocates of Change (SAC) on HIV, HBV and HCV through puppet and radio programming.
It was with support from Gilead Science aimed at creating awareness, screening, and testing of people where there were no health facilities.
A statement signed by Madam Lina Beneb, the Programme Manager for SAC, copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Wa, said:
“336 of the number went for voluntary screening, testing and counselling and 10 came out positive with HBV and were referred to their nearest hospitals for further diagnosis and treatment.”
The beneficiary communities include Naakateng and Ba-o-jon in the Wa West District where the nearest health centre of Gurungu was about 8km.
Others were Gbankonyiri and Baabayiri in the Daffiama-Bussie-Issah District where the nearest health facility was in Konzokala, which is about six kilometres away from the communities.
The rest were: Dodoma, Donye, Dompie, Dugbalipare, Tankara, Tambigye No. 1 and 2, all in the Wa West District with the nearest health facility being about 10 kilometres, located in Tokali.
The SHSs that also benefited from the project were Takpo and Sombo senior high schools, Tibani Vocational Institute in the Nadowli-Kaleo District and Loggu Senior High School in the Wa East District.
The community members, students and the school authorities expressed gratitude to SAC and its partners for the intervention.
They asked for more interventions as many members and students did not benefit from the screening and testing, the statement said.
It referred to Mr Salifu Majeed, a resident of Nakaateng, as saying that many of his neighbours were not able to join the programme due to farm activities and other issues.
Mr Thomas Dagbol, from Dodoma community, comended SAC and said they had never experienced that kind of advocacy, screening and testing for free in their community.
Mr Ernest Tengenaang, the Principal of Tibani Vocational Institute, expressed gratitude to SAC for including the school in the programme.
“He said he hopes to see more programmes like this in the future as it is really a great help to the students who are afraid and shy to go to health facilities for these testing”.
GNA
