Nova Scotia-Gambia Association (NSGA) in collaboration with the World Food Programme (WFP), yesterday began a four-day sensitisation forum on HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), held at the Bahai National Centre in Kanifing.

The training workshop which attracted 60 WFP truck drivers, aimed to equip participants with the requisite knowledge and skills in order to enable them to make healthy decisions when they are faced with identified risks. In her welcoming address, the executive director of NSGA, Andrea Macdonald, described the training as very important, noting that the training is part of a recommendation made last year, at the end of a survey conducted by her association, the WFP and the UNDP.

According to her, the training is meant to create awareness and understanding on how to prevent HIV/AIDS and other infections such a STIs, while emphasising that the fight against these diseases also require attitudinal change towards those people living with the diseases. She said that her association has been and shall continue to empower the people to live a healthy life through education. She went further to thank their partners, saying all is meant for the betterment of humanity.

Bai Cham,deputy director of the National Aids Secretariat (NAS), thanked the organisers for coming up with the training programme, noting that The Gambia government has achieved remarkable progess in the fight against HIV/AIDS, amongst other diseases in the country.

According to Deputy Director Cham, HIV/AIDS is a very expensive disease and that to fight the disease, it does not only require close collaboration with partners but it also needs resource mobilisation especially to a developing country such as The Gambia.

For his part, Patrick Teixerira, head of programmes at WFP, thanked the participants for honouring their invitations, adding that the training is part of a series of events that the WFP with partners has engaged in order to build capacity for the benefit of national development. According to him ,the objective of the training is to sensitise their staff especially the WFP truck drivers in order for them to make a healthy decision towards the prevention of HIV/AIDS and other diseases such as STIs.

He went on to challenge participants to take the training seriously by exchanging ideas and skills and then to desiminate the information gained from the training to their colleagues. Fanta Jarra Sowe, a local advisory committee member of NSGA, who echoed similar sentiments like the previous speakers, urged the participants to go in for voluntary testing and counselling to enable them to know their status.

Abdou Kanteh, a trainer at NSGA chaired the ceremony while Neru Sey delivered the vote of thanks on behalf of the particpants.The ceremony was attented by the WFP and NSGA staff.