Submitted by crinadmin on
Summary: An Eleven-year-old World Vision sponsored child, Mercy, drew the attention of the large congregation of dignitaries, students, non governmental organisation staff, UN staff, and the media, of the need to keep their promise to care for children affected or living with HIV/AIDS.“Today, on behalf of the children in my community, we say that anything is possible if you believe. If children in my community have HIV/AIDS we should get free medicine. It is possible because we believe we can make it happen,” she said
Mercy is a member of the World Vision Dangme-West ADP sponsored Ayetepa community group for Lessons for Life, and Doris, a child sponsored by Plan International, speaking under the auspices of the National Coalition for Global Movement for Children, sent strong messages on behalf of children of Ghana at the presidential launching of programs towards World AIDS Day celebration in December 2005.
The theme of the occasion is ‘Stop AIDS, Keep the Promise’.
World Vision national Programme Officer for HIV/AIDS Gladys Tetteh-Yeboah took the opportunity to create awareness on the Lessons for Life, and the work of the coalition.
Recounting the ‘Good News’ in the role of her group under the Lessons for Life programme in her community, Mercy said, “Ayetepa children showed love to people living or affected by HIV/AIDS. We visited, played, prayed, shared meals, and helped the sick by fetching water and firewood, while keeping their compounds clean and harvesting vegetables for them.”
Mercy continued, “Children are affected, mothers are affected, fathers are affected. It is time to keep the promise to take care of us, the promise to protect us. Let’s keep the promise to give free treatment to children. We can stop AIDS. Promises are kept by those who love. Stop AIDS. That is the promise we make today, will you join us?” she asked, as the audience listened with rapt attention.
Doris, for her part, said the fight against the spread of HIV would not be successful without involving children. "Let us be part of the fight," she appealed.
Launching the commencement of activities that would culminate in a national durbar on World AIDS Day, December 1, Vice President Alhaji Aliu Mahama said the occasion should offer the opportunity to learn more about the changing face of AIDS and the need for rededication as individuals, families, communities and organisations bring the disease under control.
“Let me emphasise straight away that no government agency can match what we Ghanaians can do together as a people. Each one of us can and must make a difference. For all the fear that it engenders, we need to recognise that HIV/AIDS is powerless against a well-informed person making the right decisions,” he said.
Alhaji Mahama expressed the commitment of the Ghana government to continue providing the necessary leadership for the national response through an even more holistic strategy, to further reduce the prevalence rate from 3.1 per cent, while commending development partners, whom he said had contributed great financial resources towards the fight against the disease.
Director General of the GAC, Professor Amoa, said the month-long activities would include media sensitization, advocacy and treatment, national blood transfusion safety week, free voluntary counselling and testing, to draw attention of the general public to the fact that Ghana still had a long way to go in its fight against the disease. Though great gains had been made, Ghanaians were not to be complacent or to rest on their oars, he said.
Statements on key themes underpinning the day were delivered by the Commissioner on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) on ‘human rights and vulnerabilities’, the National Coalition for Global Movement for Children on ‘prevention, care and support’, while the choir from the National Fire Service sang song on AIDS during the interludes; the lyrics of some songs exhorting people to show love and sympathy to those affected and infected with HIV/AIDS.
Owner: Faustina Boakye