The Ghana Coalition of NGOs in Health (GCNH), on Wednesday began a two-day stakeholders meeting on HIV/AIDS in Koforidua.
The coalition has been working in collaboration with the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC) since 2009 as Principal Recipient (PR) in implementing activities aimed at reducing the spread of the AIDS pandemic as well as eliminating stigmatization suffered by the AIDS victims.
Mr Michael Boadi, Advocacy Officer, said although currently the Central Region has the highest prevalence rate of HIV and AIDS in Ghana, the 3.6 percent rate in the Eastern Region was still high and required concerted efforts to bring it down.
"The region connects many other administrative and commercial centres of the country and even serves as a transit region for travelers enroute to neighbouring countries".
Mr Boadi indicated that due to the high incidence of poverty coupled with high cost of living young people fell prey to the enticements and engaged in sex with strangers ultimately exposing themselves to HIV and AIDS.
"These reasons still place the Eastern Region as one of the high risk areas of HIV and AIDS infection".
He said concerted efforts such as intensive Prevention/Behaviour Change Communication activities geared towards promoting safer sex, delayed sex among the youth, regular and proper use of condoms, and willingness of more people to test and know their HIV status would be needed to address the menace.
Mr James Mensah Boamah, Eastern Regional Chairman of the GCNH, said having performed satisfactorily in both technical and financial management of the project in the Multi-Sectorial HIV/AIDS Programme, the Ghana Aids Commission had given the coalition yet one more opportunity to contribute to all the efforts being made across the country to ensure zero transmission from mother to child and reduced new infection by 50 percent.
He, therefore, solicited views from the participants on how to make the implementation better in order to achieve the project objectives.
Mr Boamah announced that the budget for the project is GHc 400,000 for two years which would be disbursed in four tranches based on their performance and reporting.
He mentioned some of the activities as capacity building training workshops - GHc 70,280.00, house to house - GHc 46,080.00, church/mosque outreach GHc 46,080.00, market Outreach- GHC 15,360.00, school education campaign - GHc 30,720.00 and condom promotion - GHc 30,720.00 among others.