NGO donates antiretroviral drugs to refugees

Budumburam (C/R), Dec. 9, GNA - Distressed and Displaced- Africa (DDA), a non- governmental organization on Thursday donated antiretroviral drugs and food items worth 40 million cedis to support Budumburam refugees with HIV/AIDS.

The items, which were funded, by the Ghana AIDS Commission and other local and international sponsors, were presented to the St Gregory Catholic Church at Budumduram in the Central Region for free administration to patients.

Mrs Veronica Ankomah-Tutu, Executive Chairperson of DDA and Member of the Ghana Refugee Board, said the organization since its inception had trained more than 90 peer educators, 1,000 school children and 1,500 adults to sensitise refugees on the implications of HIV/AIDS. "As a result of our intervention, several people from this community have gone for voluntary counselling and testing with 320 volunteers testing positive and we must, therefore, support the increasing number of those living with the virus", she said.

Mrs Ankomah-Tutu said the African Continent, especially the West Africa Sub-Region was plagued with conflicts and other natural disasters increasing the number of refugees, adding that DDA was set up to share the pain and suffering of such persons.

She said DDA had also planned to move its operations to Liberia next year, to provide humanitarian services to the people and it was hopeful to support other programmes with the help of co-sponsors until the menace was controlled to reasonable levels.

Mr Reuben Gbweh, the National Catholic Secretariat HIV/AIDS Coordinator, received the items on behalf of the refugees. 9 Dec 05