Hotel, guest house operators attend workshop

Nkoranza (B/A), Feb. 19, GNA - Ghana Chapter of Society for Women and AIDS in Africa has organized a one day workshop to sensitize about 40 drinking bar operators, managers and secretaries of hotels and guest houses in Nkoranza on reproductive health issues and HIV/AIDS. Ms. Josephine Agbo, monitoring and evaluation focal person of the society, stressed the need for the participants to promote the use of condoms among their customers and to help in the campaign against the spread of HIV/AIDS.

She expressed regret about the increasing spread of the pandemic among the youth, a number of whom had died. Ms. Agbo said the society had targeted women, most especially the illiterate ones, and those in the rural areas who she said were reserved and did not see the need for them to change from negative practices that could lead them to contract the disease. She said volunteers of the society intended to collaborate with drinking bar and hotel operators in the campaign against the spread of HIV/AIDS and the promotion of condom use. Ms Agbo deplored the attitude of some people to stigmatize people living with HIV/AIDS, saying every one was at risk of contracting the virus.

"The society will create 38 non-traditional outlets for the sale of condoms in the area by encouraging chop bar operators, hawkers, mobile phone unit transfer operators and market women to promote the use of both male and female condoms among their customers", she added. Ms. Agbo commended the Ghana AIDS Commission for its support for the activities of the society and other community based organizations engaged in education campaigns against the spread of the pandemic in the country. Mrs. Eva Saaku and Madam Alice Vorteto, public health nurses at Nkoranza who were facilitators, advised the public to be wary of herbalists who claimed to have developed a cure for the virus.