"Right to Play" recruits 25 teachers to combat HIV/AIDS

Kpetoe, June 10, GNA- "Right to Play", a child centred Non-Governmental Organization, has recruited and trained 25 basic school teachers from the Adaklu-Anyigbe District to implement the organization's "live safe, play safe" module. The module teaches children and the youths about HIV/AIDS and its prevention.

The teachers, who are volunteers, would convey HIV/AIDS information through various games in their respective schools and communities. Some of the games include "infection protection, HIV card and condom relay".

Briefing the Ghana News Agency at the end of a six-day training for the teachers at Kpetoe, Mr Tanko Yussif Azzika, Programme Manager of "Right to Play", said the focus was to build knowledge enhancing attitudes and life skills towards People Living With HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs) and also help reduce the stigma associated with the disease. He said children and youths remained a major stakeholder in the fight against HIV/ADS and said all efforts were being made to get them involved in combating the disease.

Mr Azzika said the programme, which had sponsorship from the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) would enable children including refugees in schools to have the right information on HIV/AIDS, adopt healthy lifestyles and make informed choices. "These games will occupy our young ones from being idle at their leisure periods and also help them to behave well and protect themselves", he said.

Mr Azzika said attitudinal change among the youth on HIV/AIDS was still a major problem and called on other stakeholders especially religious leaders to preach the disease, and also urged parents to talk about it regularly to young people. The teachers were taught how to manage groups in their schools, help children and young people in their schools to communicate assertively and how they could help themselves to reduce negative peer pressure.