A group photograph of the patients and the dignitaries
The Municipal AIDs Committee (MAC) of the Ashaiman Municipal Assembly (ASHMA) has assisted persons living with HIV at the SOS Children’s Village at Mataheko, a suburb of Ashaiman in the Greater Accra Region.
This initiative is to assist victims living with HIV by enrolling them to acquire some vocational skills, in partnership with SOS Village, in order to sustain their livelihood.
Speaking during the climaxing ceremony of products exhibition by the HIV patients, the Focal Person for MAC at ASHMA, Mabel Dodoo, disclosed that patients living with HIV are financially challenged in aspects of taking care of themselves and also soliciting for funds to cater for their medical bills.
“It is in this regard that the Municipal AIDs Committee deliberated on what to do for persons living with HIV in the community by coming out with a decision to partner SOS Village to engage these HIV victims into skills training which will go a long way to sustain both their financial and material needs,” Madam Dodoo mentioned.
According to her, skills acquired under the period of training would avert these HIV victims from public stigmatisation and psychological trauma. She explained that both stakeholders would proceed in assisting the victims to start a small scale business of their own.
“The assembly will do its best to get some donor sponsor to support victims living with HIV in the community,” Madam Dodoo revealed.
For his part, the Project Coordinator of SOS Village, Diana Fiati, stated that the initiative is to help victims living with HIV within the community, adding, “This is a maiden collaboration between ASHMA and the SOS Children’s Village Ghana in championing the cause of victims with HIV in the community.”
According to her, eight female persons living with HIV were enrolled onto the vocational skills training, of which four were taught liquid soap production, while the other four also taught bead making.
She further added that the project commenced in November 2016 and ended on May 2017.
Mrs Fiati further used the occasion to call for sponsorship from donor groups, organisations, individuals and other private and government institutions to support HIV victims living within the community.
From Bernard Aryee, Mataheko, Ashaiman