The Mfantseman Municipal Assembly, in collaboration with the Municipal Health Directorate and the Municipal Education Directorate, has inaugurated an HIV Club at Mfantsiman Girls Senior High School (SHS) as part of efforts to strengthen HIV/AIDS education, prevention and awareness among young people in the municipality.
The initiative forms part of the Assembly’s broader campaign to equip students and other young people with accurate information about HIV/AIDS, its modes of transmission, prevention and the importance of making responsible decisions to protect their health.
Speaking at the inauguration, Nana Abena Agyeiwaa II, Focal Person for HIV/AIDS at the Mfantseman Municipal Assembly, said young people constitute a significant proportion of HIV/AIDS cases recorded in the municipality.
She explained that the situation makes it necessary to intensify HIV/AIDS education in schools and provide platforms where students can openly discuss issues surrounding HIV prevention and healthy relationships.
According to her, establishing HIV Clubs in schools would help students become peer educators and ambassadors who can share accurate information with their colleagues and communities.
She encouraged students to abstain from sexual activity as the surest way of avoiding sexual transmission of HIV, while urging those who are sexually active to use condoms correctly and consistently to reduce the risk of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.
Nana Abena Agyeiwaa II further disclosed that the Mfantseman Municipal Assembly has intensified its HIV/AIDS awareness campaign through sensitisation programmes across all seven Senior High Schools in the municipality.
The campaign, she said, also extends across the four paramountcies within the Mfantseman Municipality, with the aim of reaching young people and communities with relevant information on HIV prevention and reducing stigma and misinformation surrounding the virus.
The Assistant Headmistress in charge of Domestic Affairs at Mfantsiman Girls SHS, Madam Addinalla Bartels, also stressed the importance of abstinence among students.
In an exclusive interview after the inauguration, Madam Bartels described abstinence as the ultimate form of protection against sexually transmitted HIV, while encouraging students who engage in sexual activity to take appropriate precautions, including the correct and consistent use of condoms.
She noted that the establishment of the HIV Club would complement existing efforts by the school to educate students and promote responsible decision-making.
Students of Mfantsiman Girls SHS who spoke to the media expressed appreciation to the Mfantseman Municipal Assembly and the organisers for establishing the HIV Club on campus.
They described the initiative as timely and beneficial, particularly because it would provide students with increased access to HIV/AIDS education and encourage them to share the knowledge acquired with their peers.
The students pledged to use the knowledge gained through the club responsibly and urged stakeholders to sustain similar educational programmes in schools.
The inauguration of the HIV Club at Mfantsiman Girls SHS is expected to strengthen peer-led HIV/AIDS education and contribute to broader efforts to prevent new HIV infections among young people in the Mfantseman Municipality.
The Assembly is also expected to continue its sensitisation programmes in schools and communities as part of efforts to build greater awareness, promote responsible behaviour and support the fight against HIV/AIDS.
