WOMEN ASKED TO GO FOR VOLUNTARY TESTING AND COUNSELLING (PAGE 35, DEC 21)

THE Dachio South Women Farmers Association (DSWFA), a community based organisation in the Bolgatanga Municipality, has organised a Free Voluntary Counselling and Testing for women groups within the Zuarungu area.
The aim of the exercise was to enable the women and other members of the society to know their HIV status in order to protect themselves from the deadly disease and also encourage healthy living.
The Project Co-ordinator, Mr Collins Amadu Atuah, told the Daily Graphic at Zuarungu after one of the counselling and testing sessions that with nearly 10,000 people believed to be living with HIV AIDS in the region, it had become necessary to encourage people to undergo the test.
Whilst encouraging people to go and check their status, Mr Atuah spoke against stigmatisation and discrimination against people living with the disease.
He said aside the HIV/AIDS programmes, the CBO was also involved in creating awareness among the women groups on local governance because women continued to be largely marginalised in the initiation of policies and implementation processes in their communities.
“Women targeted are now aware of their rights, ” he asserted.
On the environment, Mr Atuah said women in the project’s catchment area were also educated on the need to preserve the environment by helping to curb bush fires and the rampant felling of trees.
He said over the period that the project had been underway in the Zuarungu community, 1,500 improved tree seedlings had been distributed to 750 women to be planted around their homes.
He commended IBIS West Africa for supporting the organisation, adding that through their support, DSWFA had increased the bargaining powers of the 15 organised women groups which are now able to present their development needs to the Bolgatanga Municipal Assembly and their respective sub-district structures for redress.
Mr Atuah appealed to IBIS West Africa to continue supporting the organisation and other women civil society organisations which are weak to support the education and engagement processes.
“With the continuous support from IBIS, DSWFA will make women to actively engage with the Bolgatanga Municipal Assembly and its sub-district structures to demand effective services and hold their leaders accountable,” he stressed.
A beneficiary of the project, Ms Christiana Adekurah, said the engagement processes initiated by the DSWFA were well thought-out programmes which would go a long way to enhance the capacity of the women.
She was particularly happy about the Voluntary Counselling and Testing programme, and said it would help them to know their status and better manage their lifestyles.
Mr Ayamga Anamboyire, an HIV AIDS educator, lauded the DWSFA for involving the youth in its programmes and said it would help reduce the rate of infection in the municipality.