Albert Nana Asante
22 August 2008
Fomena — OVER 700 youth, in the Adansi North District of Ashanti, have so far been engaged under the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP).
Out of the six modules chosen by the district, the Agric module had the highest of 436 youth, followed by the Community Education Teaching Assistants, which also recruited 130.
Mr. Peter Kwabena Ameyaw, the District Chief Executive (DCE) for the area, addressing members of the assembly, added that 61 youth were also employed under the Waste and Sanitation Management Module of the programme.
He again disclosed that ten people were also recruited as sanitation aides, whilst the Paid Internship and Industrial Attachment stood at 17.
Mr. Ameyaw told members of the assembly, that the Ministry of Manpower, Youth and Employment had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Agricultural Development Bank, to take over the payment of the allowances of the 70 youth, who have been recruited as Health Extension workers.
He announced that additional recruitment would soon begin, to engage more of the youth in all the six modules.
Touching on the School Feeding Programme, the DCE maintained that the programme remained one of the legacies bequeathed the nation, by the government.
"At the beginning of the programme, the total school population of all schools in the district was 5,684. However, at the middle stages, the number rose to 6,687," he stressed, adding that the population of pupil beneficiaries, currently stood at 7, 099.
In another development the HIV/AIDS prevalence rate in the Obuasi Municipality has increased from 3.8 per cent to 5 per cent.
Mr. Karim Iddrisu, Executive Director of Centre for Advancement of the Marginalized Persons (CAMP), a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) based in Obuasi, made the disclosure during the launch of an HIV/AIDS Behavioural Change Project, for the Gausu and Ahansoyewodea communities.
CAMP is carrying out the project, in collaboration with the Obuasi Municipal Assembly, and Ghana Aids Commission.
Launching the project, Mr. Iddrisu maintained that the HIV pandemic was fast growing in the municipality, and that there was the need for the residents to be educated on its dangers.
He said the project sought to change communities' perception of HIV/AIDS, encourage the use of condoms, and sensitise the communities on the prevalence of the pandemic, so as to avoid contracting the disease.
"We also seek to allay their fears on the pandemic, and possibly encourage the youth to go for a HIV/AIDS test," he added.
He explained that his organization chose the two communities for the project, because Gausu and Ahansoyewodea (both suburbs of Obuasi) had a peculiar problem of sexual promiscuity, adding, "Another reason is that the inhabitants at the two communities are youthful."
He said a survey conducted by his outfit. revealed that 87 per cent of the youth in the two communities, were not adequately informed about the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
The Assembly Member for Kwabrafoso, Mr. Ofosu Donkor, on his part, advised the youth to be wary of the pandemic, since they were the future leaders of the country.
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