Article: Salome Donkor & George Earnest Asare
The enviable feat accomplished by Ms Charlotte Azurago, the then 28-year old teacher at Lwanga in Zebilla in the Upper East Region, who was adjudged the first female overall National Best Teacher at the 2004 World Teachers’ Day in Wa, seems to have opened a new chapter in the lives of some female teachers.
Madam Doris Naana Marfo, an English Language teacher and Assistant Headmistress of the Sunyani Senior High School (SHS) in the Brong Ahafo Region and Faustina Gyeketey, a teacher of the Obokrom-Kumasi District Assembly (D/A) Junior High School (JHS) in the Gomoa West District in the Central Region, won the enviable prize in 2005 and 2007 respectively.
This achievement was repeated this year with two female teachers being adjudged the first and second runners-up to the 2008 best teacher award at the 14th edition of the National Best Teacher Award Ceremony held in Sunyani, the Brongh Ahafo Regional capital recently.
They are Mrs Magdalene Mensah,a teacher of French at the Opoku Ware Senior High School (SHC) in Kumasi and Mrs Alice Dzifa Gligui-Denueme, Head of Department of Home Economics at the Awudome SHC at Tsito, who emerged the first and second runners-up of the 2008 best teacher award respectively.
Sharing their joy and excitement with the Daily Graphic in separate interviews in Kumasi and Accra, Mrs Mensah said she felt elated for the honour bestowed on her by the state in recognition of her hard work for consistently teaching for over two decades in the country, while Mrs Gligui-Denueme attributed her success to discipline and hard work.
Mrs Mensah described the award as timely, stressing that it would further motivate her to work harder than before, in order to serve as a role model for the youth, especially the girl child.
She said “I am very happy for my chosen career. This is because over the years I have been able to help develop the knowledge of students who knew next to nothing about the French language when they entered school, but left school very much enlightened, contributing in diverse ways to sustainable socio-economic development”.
Mrs Mensah said she won the award when she participated in prestigious teacher award scheme for the first time, adding that she was encouraged by her headmaster, fellow teachers, past and present students who had benefited from her quality scheme of work, as well as members from her immediate community.
The award winner, who holds a Masters Degree in French, said her encouragement stemmed from the fact that she did not only spend adequate time in preparing her notes after conducting in-depth research, but also took much time in her presentation, assigning and accessing students to give them the confidence they needed to pass their examination very well.
On how she went through the series of interviews at the district, regional and national levels, Mrs Mensah said as a teacher, she had gone through promotion interviews before " so I knew what was expected of me, but at the national level of the teachers award, I knew that I was going to face a tougher panel, so I got myself prepared very well and it paid off".
" I made sure that my notes were standard, dummy teaching was masterful, answered all their questions with confidence and left an impression on them, so I was sure that I would win something but not to this magnitude. " She explained further.
She said that after meeting the panel at the national level, a special field team followed up to Opoku ware School, where they checked on her style of teachings, supervision, mode of assignments and some extra curricula activities as well as her contribution to the immediate community. She said she later got a message from the regional co-ordinator informing her that she had been nominated for a national award, but she did not know the category of award and that put her in a state of suspense until the 11th hour.
She said the reception accorded her moments after she returned from Sunyani with her prizes was overwhelming and expressed her gratitude to God for the spiritual guidance and also to the headmaster of Opoku Ware SHS and the staff for their support.
Mrs Mensah, who is a mother of two, advised the youth, especially the girl-child, to be serious with their academic work to be able to achieve their heart desires, adding that "The sky is our limit, and we should also not be discouraged in our activities but persevere to make it.
Fo her part, the second runner-up, started receiving honours at the OLA Senior Secondary School where she was the schools prefect. The school’s Parent Teacher Association (PTA) and management honoured her for being the well-behaved and a serious student.
From there she won the 1996 District Best Teacher Award for Gushiegu-Karaga when she was teaching at the Gushiegu-Karaga Local Authority Junior Secondary School and then the Northern Regional Best Teacher in 2001.
The award winner said she then proceeded to the University of Education, Wineba to study Home Economics and was posted to Tamale Islamic SSS after she graduated in 2005. She was transferred to Taviese-Deme Roman Catholic JSS in 2007, where she taught Science and then was posted to Awudome Tsito SSS early this year where she teaches Home Economics and also serves as head of that department.
She said she had remained committed to her work and performed her duties with dedication and pointed out that she had projected her school with the honour, and expressed optimism that it would greatly impact positively on her personal life, as well as that of her students and the community in which she lived.
Mrs Gligui-Denueme, who is married to Dr Saviour Denueme, a Vertinary Surgeon, with three children, advised the girl child to study hard and serve as role models in their respective areas.
She advised students to disabuse their minds of the notion that Home Economics is for those who do not do well, adding that all subjects are equally important in the national development programme.
She appealed to the government to provide schools with the needed materials and create the conducive atmosphere for effective teaching and learning. She also said there was the need to improve the conditions of service of teachers and motivate them to give their best.
To her, discipline, determination and hard work form the basis of everything, adding that she is from a disciplined home and that accounts for her academic exploits.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Rural Women’s Day marked in Azizanya (Daily Graphic, 18/10/08. Gender and Childre’s Page)
Article: Salome Donkor
Wednesday, October 15, was observed as World Rural Women’s Day. The idea of the event, which is devoted each year to honour rural women, began at the United Nations Conference for Women in Beijing in September 1995.
The theme for this year’s celebration was, “Climate Change: Rural Women Are Part of the Solution”, while that for 2007 was “The right to food: Rural women produce and provide”
The International Federation of Agricultural Producers (IFAP), Associated Country Women of the World (ACWW), Network of African Rural Women Associations (NARWA) and the Women's World Summit Foundation (WWSF) were the main proponents of the day.
Online information indicate that rural women, mainly farmers, are at least 1.6 billion and represent more than a quarter of the total world population. Women produce on average more than half of all the food that is grown: Up to 8O per cent in Africa, 6O per cent in Asia, between 3O and 4O per cent in Latin America and Western countries.
Despite these women own only two per cent of the land, and receive only one per cent of all agricultural credit, while only five per cent of all agricultural extension resources are directed to women.
In Ghana, records at the Ministry of Agriculture indicate that women constitute 52 per cent of the agricultural labour force and produce 70 per cent of subsistence crops and play major roles in production and distribution.
The event was therefore considered a practical way of obtaining recognition and support for the multiple roles of rural women who are mostly farmers and small entrepreneurs.
Because of their key role in food production and food security, it was decided that the World Rural Women's Day fall on the October 15 - the day before World Food Day.
The purpose of the day is to provide rural women and their organisations with a focal point to raise the profile of rural women, sensitise both governments and the public to their crucial, yet largely unrecognised roles, and promote action in their support.
As part of this year’s celebration in Ghana, the Foundation for Female Photojournalists (FFP), a non-profit making organisation, organised a programme with women in Azizanya in Ada to discuss how best to address the issue of coastal erosion confronting the community. During the meeting, the women resolved to initiate a programme that will harness their efforts to support each other during critical times of the coastal erosion.
They also appealed to the government to engage with the traditional authorities to give them a parcel of land which they will collectively develop as a long term means of providing sustainable and affordable housing.
The women noted that their communities, environment, industries, services and workplaces were facing rapid changes. Drought, climate change, and water issues have increased the cost of doing business. The prices of imputs such as fuel and fishing nets are challenging their very livelihoods.
The women in Azizanya also affirmed that vast distances and lack of infrastructure did not only isolate them, but also stifled growth, innovation, entrepreneurship and adaptive capacity, which threatens Ghana's economic, social, cultural and environmental sustainability and prosperity.
In a welcome address, the Executive Director of FFP, Ms Mardey Ohui Ofoe, said this year's theme was crucial because over the past years, rural women had played significant roles in communities affected by drought, coastal land erosion and ongoing climate change. In these circumstances women in rural communities take on critical roles spanning family, business and the community development.
The rural women and climate change initiative is about local women working together and exploring partnerships that improve their family situations and community's well-being.
In a goodwill message read on his behalf, the Chief of Azizanya, Nene Akrofi Kabu, expressed his profound gratitude to the FFP for the programme and expressed the hope that the conversation would produce lessons that would help the people of Azizanya to address their own climatic change problems.
The chairperson for the programme, Madam Ghananye, admonished the women to take seriously the issues discussed to mobilise themselves to ensure that they maximised the knowledge gained to the benefit of all. She said when the sea eroded the land, women lost property, got displaced, thereby exposing them to diseases and severe poverty.
The Assembly Member of the Azizanya Electoral Area, Hon. Paul T. Amegavie, said women and children were the major victims of the Ada sea erosion because it took over their households and properties.
Wednesday, October 15, was observed as World Rural Women’s Day. The idea of the event, which is devoted each year to honour rural women, began at the United Nations Conference for Women in Beijing in September 1995.
The theme for this year’s celebration was, “Climate Change: Rural Women Are Part of the Solution”, while that for 2007 was “The right to food: Rural women produce and provide”
The International Federation of Agricultural Producers (IFAP), Associated Country Women of the World (ACWW), Network of African Rural Women Associations (NARWA) and the Women's World Summit Foundation (WWSF) were the main proponents of the day.
Online information indicate that rural women, mainly farmers, are at least 1.6 billion and represent more than a quarter of the total world population. Women produce on average more than half of all the food that is grown: Up to 8O per cent in Africa, 6O per cent in Asia, between 3O and 4O per cent in Latin America and Western countries.
Despite these women own only two per cent of the land, and receive only one per cent of all agricultural credit, while only five per cent of all agricultural extension resources are directed to women.
In Ghana, records at the Ministry of Agriculture indicate that women constitute 52 per cent of the agricultural labour force and produce 70 per cent of subsistence crops and play major roles in production and distribution.
The event was therefore considered a practical way of obtaining recognition and support for the multiple roles of rural women who are mostly farmers and small entrepreneurs.
Because of their key role in food production and food security, it was decided that the World Rural Women's Day fall on the October 15 - the day before World Food Day.
The purpose of the day is to provide rural women and their organisations with a focal point to raise the profile of rural women, sensitise both governments and the public to their crucial, yet largely unrecognised roles, and promote action in their support.
As part of this year’s celebration in Ghana, the Foundation for Female Photojournalists (FFP), a non-profit making organisation, organised a programme with women in Azizanya in Ada to discuss how best to address the issue of coastal erosion confronting the community. During the meeting, the women resolved to initiate a programme that will harness their efforts to support each other during critical times of the coastal erosion.
They also appealed to the government to engage with the traditional authorities to give them a parcel of land which they will collectively develop as a long term means of providing sustainable and affordable housing.
The women noted that their communities, environment, industries, services and workplaces were facing rapid changes. Drought, climate change, and water issues have increased the cost of doing business. The prices of imputs such as fuel and fishing nets are challenging their very livelihoods.
The women in Azizanya also affirmed that vast distances and lack of infrastructure did not only isolate them, but also stifled growth, innovation, entrepreneurship and adaptive capacity, which threatens Ghana's economic, social, cultural and environmental sustainability and prosperity.
In a welcome address, the Executive Director of FFP, Ms Mardey Ohui Ofoe, said this year's theme was crucial because over the past years, rural women had played significant roles in communities affected by drought, coastal land erosion and ongoing climate change. In these circumstances women in rural communities take on critical roles spanning family, business and the community development.
The rural women and climate change initiative is about local women working together and exploring partnerships that improve their family situations and community's well-being.
In a goodwill message read on his behalf, the Chief of Azizanya, Nene Akrofi Kabu, expressed his profound gratitude to the FFP for the programme and expressed the hope that the conversation would produce lessons that would help the people of Azizanya to address their own climatic change problems.
The chairperson for the programme, Madam Ghananye, admonished the women to take seriously the issues discussed to mobilise themselves to ensure that they maximised the knowledge gained to the benefit of all. She said when the sea eroded the land, women lost property, got displaced, thereby exposing them to diseases and severe poverty.
The Assembly Member of the Azizanya Electoral Area, Hon. Paul T. Amegavie, said women and children were the major victims of the Ada sea erosion because it took over their households and properties.
Ministry commends Okyenhene - For supporting fight against FGM
Story: Salome Donkor
The Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs (MOWAC) has stated that it is continuously seeking the support and collaboration of all stakeholders in the fight against female genital mutilation (FGM).
It described the call by the Okyenhene, Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin for the prosecution of traditional rulers found to be promoting the negative cultural practice as very welcome and commended the chief for his support towards the fight against the abolition of the practice.
A statement issued from the Public Relations Unit of MOWAC, dated October 14, 2008 made reference to the Okyenhene’s call made at a durbar organised to mark the ninth anniversary of his enstoolment as Okyenehe and said the chief’s support for women’s empowerment and child education, is laudable.
The statement said under its responsibility for advancing the welfare of women and children, the ministry has taken note of the call and pointed out that the ministry since its establishment has championed the fight against FGM as part of its mandate of protecting the rights of women and children.
It said a lot of activities, including advocacy and sensitisation workshops have been undertaken in areas where FGM is practised to sensitise communities, community leaders and traditional authorities on the dangers of the practice and the fact that it infringes on the human rights if its victims and these interventions, have helped to reduce FGM considerably.
Health experts say FGM is an invasive and painful surgical procedure that is often performed without anaesthetic on girls before puberty.
Various sources estimate that from about 60 to 140 million women in the world have been circumcised. Globally, an average of about four girls a minute continue to suffer from the practice.
The result is that sexual feelings are either inhibited or terminated. Sexual intercourse is often extremely painful for the woman. Childbirth often involves a Caesarian section .
FGM has been a social custom in Northern Africa and is occasionally performed in North America and Europe on girls of families who have immigrated from countries where FGM is common
In Ghana, although some harmful traditional practices, such as widowhood rites and female genital mutilation have been criminalised under the Criminal Code Amendment Act 1998 (Act 554), women are still a long way from achieving equality and these practices persist in some communities due to existing stereotyped conceptions of women caused by socio-cultural factors which perpetuate discrimination based on sex.
A BBC news carried in the October 17, edition of the Daily Graphic indicated that a community in eastern Uganda has banned the deeply rooted practice of female genital mutilation (FGM).
It quoted an official from the
Kapchorwa District chairman Nelson Chelimo as saying that it was an "outmoded" custom and "not useful" for the community's women.
Some of the side effects of the cultural practice can include, hemorrhage, shock, painful scars, keloid formation, labial adherence, clitoral cysts, chronic urinary infection, and chronic pelvic infections. Later in life, it can cause kidney stones, sterility, sexual dysfunction, depression, and various gynaecological and obstetric problems.
The FGM Education and Networking Project, which maintains a regularly updated list of countries, population groups, and the types of operation performed estimates that 90 per cent or more of the girls in Djibouti, Ethiopia and Eritrea, Sierra Leone, Somalia, and Sudan (North) have undergone the practice.
The same source indicates that over 50 per cent of the girls in Benin, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Egypt, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria and Togo have also undergone FGM.
The Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs (MOWAC) has stated that it is continuously seeking the support and collaboration of all stakeholders in the fight against female genital mutilation (FGM).
It described the call by the Okyenhene, Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin for the prosecution of traditional rulers found to be promoting the negative cultural practice as very welcome and commended the chief for his support towards the fight against the abolition of the practice.
A statement issued from the Public Relations Unit of MOWAC, dated October 14, 2008 made reference to the Okyenhene’s call made at a durbar organised to mark the ninth anniversary of his enstoolment as Okyenehe and said the chief’s support for women’s empowerment and child education, is laudable.
The statement said under its responsibility for advancing the welfare of women and children, the ministry has taken note of the call and pointed out that the ministry since its establishment has championed the fight against FGM as part of its mandate of protecting the rights of women and children.
It said a lot of activities, including advocacy and sensitisation workshops have been undertaken in areas where FGM is practised to sensitise communities, community leaders and traditional authorities on the dangers of the practice and the fact that it infringes on the human rights if its victims and these interventions, have helped to reduce FGM considerably.
Health experts say FGM is an invasive and painful surgical procedure that is often performed without anaesthetic on girls before puberty.
Various sources estimate that from about 60 to 140 million women in the world have been circumcised. Globally, an average of about four girls a minute continue to suffer from the practice.
The result is that sexual feelings are either inhibited or terminated. Sexual intercourse is often extremely painful for the woman. Childbirth often involves a Caesarian section .
FGM has been a social custom in Northern Africa and is occasionally performed in North America and Europe on girls of families who have immigrated from countries where FGM is common
In Ghana, although some harmful traditional practices, such as widowhood rites and female genital mutilation have been criminalised under the Criminal Code Amendment Act 1998 (Act 554), women are still a long way from achieving equality and these practices persist in some communities due to existing stereotyped conceptions of women caused by socio-cultural factors which perpetuate discrimination based on sex.
A BBC news carried in the October 17, edition of the Daily Graphic indicated that a community in eastern Uganda has banned the deeply rooted practice of female genital mutilation (FGM).
It quoted an official from the
Kapchorwa District chairman Nelson Chelimo as saying that it was an "outmoded" custom and "not useful" for the community's women.
Some of the side effects of the cultural practice can include, hemorrhage, shock, painful scars, keloid formation, labial adherence, clitoral cysts, chronic urinary infection, and chronic pelvic infections. Later in life, it can cause kidney stones, sterility, sexual dysfunction, depression, and various gynaecological and obstetric problems.
The FGM Education and Networking Project, which maintains a regularly updated list of countries, population groups, and the types of operation performed estimates that 90 per cent or more of the girls in Djibouti, Ethiopia and Eritrea, Sierra Leone, Somalia, and Sudan (North) have undergone the practice.
The same source indicates that over 50 per cent of the girls in Benin, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Egypt, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria and Togo have also undergone FGM.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Reporting on HIV and AIDS- Highlight concerns of vulnerable groups (Daily Graphic page 11, 04/10/08)
Article: Salome Donkor
The story told by a 31-year-old HIV positive woman at a three-day workshop on “Effective reporting on women and HIV and AIDS” at Dodowa, touched the hearts of participants.
The woman (name withheld) was infected with the virus by her partner (now deceased), who never disclosed his status to her when he tested positive.
Following persistent illness, the woman was tested for HIV and when she disclosed the results to her partner, he became offended and threw her out of their home.
The woes of the woman were compounded when she lost her job at the time that she was sick and also became homeless, but thanks to the support of public-spirited individuals and organisations, she is now living a positive life and has become an HIV and AIDS advocate.
More pathetic was the story of a 14-year-old orphan who has lost both parents through AIDS and is also living with the virus.
She is being catered for by a relative but things have been very rough for her, and sometimes she is unable to take her antiretroviral therapy because there was no food for her, while money for the payment of her school fees and for the procurement of other educational needs is difficult.
These may just be two examples of the difficulties encountered by thousands of HIV sufferers, who apart from facing personal and societal stigmatisation are confronted with financial constraints and find it difficult to make ends meet to lead positive lives.
The workshop, organised by the Women Media and Change (WOMEC), a non-governmental organisation, with sponsorship from the African Women Development Fund, was attended by female journalists from both the private and state-owned media organisations. It was aimed at sharpening their skills to promote effective use of the media to report on HIV and AIDS.
A presentation by Dr Oliver Commey of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital on the topic, “Women’s vulnerability to HIV and AIDS”, gave a number of reasons that buttressed the point that women greatly bear the brunt of HIV and AIDS.
This, he explained, was in view of the fact that women were commonly blamed for bringing the infection home. They are rejected, demonised and stigmatised and also suffer health-related stress, as well as lost time from economic activities.
HIV positive women are also concerned about the issues of marriage, fertility, stigma, disclosure, security in marriage, harassment and access to treatment and care.
Dr Commey said statistics indicated that globally, only 10 per cent of people living with HIV knew their status and in Ghana it was eight per cent.
He said this meant that more people did not know their status, while 77 per cent of the 17.5 million women living with HIV and AIDS were in sub-Saharan Africa.
He said it was necessary for everybody to check his or her HIV status to ensure good health.
He also advised rape victims, who may have been exposed to the HIV infection, to report for treatment within 48 hours. Such victims, he said, could receive a post exposure prophylactics treatment at the 93 HIV counselling and treatment units and regional hospitals to stop the infection.
Mrs Bernice Heloo, International President of the Society of Women and AIDS in Africa (SWAA), said the organisation, funded in 1988, was operating in 41 African countries to champion the cause of women and children who were affected and infected with the disease.
She said more women were vulnerable to HIV infection due to biological, social, economic, social-cultural practices, wife inheritance, as well as the low level of education of women and the patriarchal nature of society, adding that HIV had worsened the plight of a number of women.
She said women should be concerned and critically look at the factors that fuelled the spread of the virus and “conspire to make women more vulnerable to the disease”, stressing that key players needed to look beyond the current approaches of preaching abstinence, being faithful and condom use to underlying social and cultural factors that made women vulnerable to the virus.
A lecturer at the Ghana Institute of Journalism, Mr Tim Quashiegah, said reporters should educate themselves on the dynamics of HIV and AIDS and write on the topic with precision and clarity, exhibiting creativity, with a resolve to make a difference in their reportage.
The resource persons urged the media to write stories to address the misconception that HIV was a disease of the poor and write about HIV positive people who had made it in life and also talk about the social needs of people living with the virus, which include shelter, good food and employment.
They said the media needed to educate the public to know that there were facilities accessible in every regional hospital and a lot of other health facilities totalling 93 sites in all parts of the country, where full ART were being offered for people living with the virus at a cost of GH¢5.00 a month.
The public also need to be informed that testing HIV positive is not a death sentence but the ART, in combinations of three or more drugs that do not cure HIV infection, prevent the development of AIDS and prolong the lives of HIV sufferers.
The media also need to gather, analyse and disseminate accurate information on HIV and AIDS and keep authorities on their toes.
The story told by a 31-year-old HIV positive woman at a three-day workshop on “Effective reporting on women and HIV and AIDS” at Dodowa, touched the hearts of participants.
The woman (name withheld) was infected with the virus by her partner (now deceased), who never disclosed his status to her when he tested positive.
Following persistent illness, the woman was tested for HIV and when she disclosed the results to her partner, he became offended and threw her out of their home.
The woes of the woman were compounded when she lost her job at the time that she was sick and also became homeless, but thanks to the support of public-spirited individuals and organisations, she is now living a positive life and has become an HIV and AIDS advocate.
More pathetic was the story of a 14-year-old orphan who has lost both parents through AIDS and is also living with the virus.
She is being catered for by a relative but things have been very rough for her, and sometimes she is unable to take her antiretroviral therapy because there was no food for her, while money for the payment of her school fees and for the procurement of other educational needs is difficult.
These may just be two examples of the difficulties encountered by thousands of HIV sufferers, who apart from facing personal and societal stigmatisation are confronted with financial constraints and find it difficult to make ends meet to lead positive lives.
The workshop, organised by the Women Media and Change (WOMEC), a non-governmental organisation, with sponsorship from the African Women Development Fund, was attended by female journalists from both the private and state-owned media organisations. It was aimed at sharpening their skills to promote effective use of the media to report on HIV and AIDS.
A presentation by Dr Oliver Commey of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital on the topic, “Women’s vulnerability to HIV and AIDS”, gave a number of reasons that buttressed the point that women greatly bear the brunt of HIV and AIDS.
This, he explained, was in view of the fact that women were commonly blamed for bringing the infection home. They are rejected, demonised and stigmatised and also suffer health-related stress, as well as lost time from economic activities.
HIV positive women are also concerned about the issues of marriage, fertility, stigma, disclosure, security in marriage, harassment and access to treatment and care.
Dr Commey said statistics indicated that globally, only 10 per cent of people living with HIV knew their status and in Ghana it was eight per cent.
He said this meant that more people did not know their status, while 77 per cent of the 17.5 million women living with HIV and AIDS were in sub-Saharan Africa.
He said it was necessary for everybody to check his or her HIV status to ensure good health.
He also advised rape victims, who may have been exposed to the HIV infection, to report for treatment within 48 hours. Such victims, he said, could receive a post exposure prophylactics treatment at the 93 HIV counselling and treatment units and regional hospitals to stop the infection.
Mrs Bernice Heloo, International President of the Society of Women and AIDS in Africa (SWAA), said the organisation, funded in 1988, was operating in 41 African countries to champion the cause of women and children who were affected and infected with the disease.
She said more women were vulnerable to HIV infection due to biological, social, economic, social-cultural practices, wife inheritance, as well as the low level of education of women and the patriarchal nature of society, adding that HIV had worsened the plight of a number of women.
She said women should be concerned and critically look at the factors that fuelled the spread of the virus and “conspire to make women more vulnerable to the disease”, stressing that key players needed to look beyond the current approaches of preaching abstinence, being faithful and condom use to underlying social and cultural factors that made women vulnerable to the virus.
A lecturer at the Ghana Institute of Journalism, Mr Tim Quashiegah, said reporters should educate themselves on the dynamics of HIV and AIDS and write on the topic with precision and clarity, exhibiting creativity, with a resolve to make a difference in their reportage.
The resource persons urged the media to write stories to address the misconception that HIV was a disease of the poor and write about HIV positive people who had made it in life and also talk about the social needs of people living with the virus, which include shelter, good food and employment.
They said the media needed to educate the public to know that there were facilities accessible in every regional hospital and a lot of other health facilities totalling 93 sites in all parts of the country, where full ART were being offered for people living with the virus at a cost of GH¢5.00 a month.
The public also need to be informed that testing HIV positive is not a death sentence but the ART, in combinations of three or more drugs that do not cure HIV infection, prevent the development of AIDS and prolong the lives of HIV sufferers.
The media also need to gather, analyse and disseminate accurate information on HIV and AIDS and keep authorities on their toes.
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