HIV/AIDS AND FACTS

This disease has been with us for a very long time and many countries as well as organizations, including the United Nations are doing their possible best to fight against it. The youth are the most infected and the current generation of young people in Ghana is faced with complex challenges, none as critical as the threat of HIV/AIDS. The UNAIDS reports that currently, 11.8 million young people between the ages of 24-25 are living with the disease, 8.6 million of whom live in sub Sahara Africa. About 6000 young people unknowingly get infected with the virus and many will not become aware of their status until 5 or 10 years. They thus continue to transmit the disease further. The youth accounts for more than half of new HIV infections, yet most young people do not consider themselves to be at risk.
The HIV/AIDS prevalence in Ghana is currently estimated at 3% and 90% of all infected persons fall between the ages of 15 and 49 years. 2 out of every 3 persons in Ghana is a WOMAN. The rate at which the disease is spreading is very fast but the youth which I’m part of have the ability to turn the tide against HIV/AIDS by refusing to enguage in high risk activities such as unprotected sex and most importantly ABSTINENCE. Many find ABSTINENCE difficult to understand and practice. Whether this assertion is true or false, it is another topic for discussion in my next article. Watch out for interesting views from some youth of our land. During my training as a peer educator with UNFPA/PPAG/Religious Bodies in 1998, the discussion about ABSTINENCE generated into heated but healthy argument among the 50 participants from across Ghana. I really enjoyed the interesting ideas which were brought up.
Anal sex which is fast growing among the youth and even the old should be frowned upon. Some researches have shown that, comparatively, the risk of transmission of HIV by ordinary vaginal sex is very low and those who practice anal sex are much more likely to turn up HIV positive than those who have vaginal sex. One should not forget that the first reported cases of HIV were among homosexuals in San Francisco in the USA.
Since women are more vulnerable to this dreadful disease than their male counterparts, they must be empowered with the relevant information and education so as to make them play a more significant role in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Ghana.
Furthermore, the youth must be supported to make decisions to abstain from sex as long as possible and educate them about the male and female condom use in order to protect themselves in the near future. Prof. Sakyi A. Amoah, the director-General of Ghana AIDS commission in 2003 reported that they had been working with the Ministry of Education to equip the teachers with necessary skills to make student aware and the need to prevent them from being infected. I think the next step is to include HIV/AIDS (and other Sexually Transmitted Infections, STI) in the national curriculum. The awareness is all over, thus the campaign should be geared towards the house-to-house and community-to-community education. People living with the disease should be made to accompany the educators during the exercise. During one of our educational trips by the Christian Council Peer Educators to Manhean (near Ablekuma) in 2003, we realized that there was no electricity in the community. The community lacked an entertainment centre. The youth used the tombs of dead persons near their houses as entertainment centre during the evenings to enguaged in all sorts of unprotected sexual activities. The rate of teenage pregnancy in the community was very high. Though they had heard of HIV/AIDS they did not believe it existed until we went there again with an infected person.
Everyone should see the need to be part of the ally in the campaign, to end the stigma and discrimination against people living with AIDS. Discrimination against people living with AIDS has been identified as the primary barrier towards prevention, treatment and ultimately the eradication of HIV/AIDS. All must seize the opportunity to break the silence and shame associated with the disease, reach out to people living with the disease and practice safe and exemplary life styles. As we celebrate the Christmas and the New Year, we should bear in mind that AIDS is real and the disease is spreading very fast. Lets all help STOP AIDS and LOVE LIFE for a better Ghana. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a very Prosperous New Year. May 2009 bring good tidings to the people of Ghana.

FELIX DONKOR,
PEER EDUCATOR, (UNFPA/PPAG/RELIGIOUS BODIES).

WHAT A COUNTRY!

“You can’t achieve anything in life if you don’t have a vision of what you want to do, who you to be and just as importantly how you want to get there.”
- Otumfour Osei- Tutu II
A lot has happened during the past week(s) and most of the events didn’t do the country any good. The heavy downpour that destroyed the stretch of the road from the 2nd overhead bridge at Kaneshie market to Mpamprom, and the damage to vehicles as well as public and private properties did really send a message across to every Ghanaian, especially officialdom that we as a people have a lot to do to make Ghana a safe country to live in.
Are the officials or the state agencies mandated to make sure Ghana is safe waiting for disaster to happen before they begin to do their work? Is NADMO ready for a serious disaster such as the one that happened last Friday, June 19? What happened to the decongestion exercise that the AMA boss promised Ghanaians and residence of Accra metropolis? Is the NCCE doing its work? Is the money allocated to them enough to enable them work effectively? There are serious questions to be asked and these serious questions also demands serious but simple answers.
Our cities are choked, especially Accra, Kumasi and to some extent Takoradi. Accra is very dirty and we the inhabitants aren’t helping matters. People throw rubbish, cook and sell everywhere. Structures are also put up indiscriminately and what makes it dangerous is that they are put up on water ways. Permits were given to people to enable them put up such buildings on water ways.
I also don’t understand why in the 21st century, we still construct open gutters in Ghana. Liquid waste in our gutters, especially water cannot flow because the gutters are filled with rubbish. I wasn’t surprised that, when it rained heavily on the 19th June, the water ended up on the streets, which killed 7 innocent people, destroyed vehicles and flooded stores, houses and rooms. For once, our politicians shouldn’t politicize issues concerning the decongestion exercise that the various mayors want to undertake. The Zoom lion workers are doing their best to keep the city clean but the sanitation situation hasn’t improved considerably. Structures that are built on water ways without permit should be demolished. Some do have permits and such buildings should be demolished and the owners compensated. Life is sweet and very precious. We cannot exchange the life of human being with anything. Moreover, God gave everyone 1 life and we should do our best to safeguard it.
Lest I forget, a Bible was found in one of the damaged cars at Kaneshie and it was opened to Isaiah 1:4. I opened my Good News Bible to read and it read: “You are doomed, you sinful nation, you corrupt and evil people! Your sins drag you down! You have rejected the Lord, the Holy God of Israel, and have turned your backs on him.
Verse 5: Why do you keep rebelling? Do you want to be punished even more?... Dear readers, I will entreat all to read the Holy book because there are lessons to be learnt. We should all pray for our country, our leaders and everyone in it.
I learnt Ghana wants to sell some of our water (I mean treated water) to our brothers and sisters in Togo, just like we used to export electricity to Togo, Burkina Faso, and Benin. I am not against exporting water to Togo but AVRL, managers of Ghana Water Company have not fulfilled their promise of supplying water to every part of the country. I however find it difficult to understand why they should think of supplying another country with our water. As I write today, places in Accra such as Adenta, Madina, North Kaneshie, Gbawe, Mallam etc, do not have access to affordable treated water. Other parts of the country do not have water flowing through their pipes. There are shortages in their operations and they should think of solving such problems and improve on supplying water to every corner of the country. As for exporting water, I beg to differ so please come again….

FELIX DONKOR
www.felixdonkor.blogspot.com
www.newsafrican.com

ROAD ACCIDENTS, WHAT IS THE PROBLEM

For the past weeks, the rate at which road accidents are rampant in Ghana is very alarming and many are those who have lost their lives. Others have also suffered various degrees of injuries. I was however shocked when I heard in the news bulletin of an Accra based radio station that, in the past three weeks, 103 lives have been lost due to road accidents.

Well, some religious leaders have attributed it to spiritual forces, other citizens have also attributed it politicians. I asked those who attributed it to politicians why they said that and to my amazement, since politicians want to win power, they will do any thing to get power, even if it is that they will have to visit ‘juju’. Anyway, they are entitled to their own views just as anyone else. I think the errors committed by drivers have also contributed to the high rate of accidents lately. However, our security personnel, especially the police, our policy makers, engineers and other road users are also to be blamed for these accidents on our road. As a result of the car accident that I had in 2004 when I was traveling from Cape Coast to Accra, I realized as a people, we have a lot to do to reduce and most importantly, prevent these fatal accidents. The Accra – Kumasi road, the Tema motorway and the Kasoa – Yamoransa are the ones that have claimed most lives due to road accidents. Drivers who ply this road, especially the commercial drivers, most often do not adhere to simple road laws. The few road signs found on the road are not observed by these drivers. Unnecessary overtaking especially on the curve and overspeeding are done by drivers who ply our roads. What is shocking is that, there are policemen found on these major roads. They collect bribes from these drivers openly without dealing with the culprits in the right way. Offenders are made to go away, only to cause accidents and kill innocent lives. Even though there are few bad nuts here and there, others are not helping matters. On the 22^nd of March, I traveled from Cape Coast to Accra. I thought it was safe to use Metro Mass Transit bus than these small buses that ply the road and to my surprise when we got Moree junction, the bus was stopped by a police man. Can u believe that, the driver did not have his seat belt on. The policeman spoke to the driver in a way that made him feel bad and he immediately put on his seat belt. It’s been reported many a times that, drivers who use the Cape Coast road do not put on seat belts and those who put them on only do so when they approach a police barrier. They then remove the seat belt after crossing the police checkpoint and at this point, I think passengers will have to report drivers who behave this way to the appropriate quarters for action to be taken against the drivers.

Over aged cars that are imported into the country also play a key role in these accidents. I was watching ‘Hot Issues’, a current affairs program on TV 3 and I was surprised to hear that, Willowbrook cars (aka space bus) were brought into the country in 1973. These buses continue to ply the Odorkor – Kaneshie – Circle road in the full glare of our officials. I wonder how they manage to get the approval of DVLA officials and other officers in charge of cars and roads in Ghana. Their brakes aren’t in the best of shape and the smoke that comes out of bus is nothing to write home about, let alone the health complications that the smoke have on us.

Furthermore, 207 cars that were originally made for cargo now have seats in them that carry precious human beings on our highways and these 207 cars are part of the cars that causes serious accidents on our roads.

People who have not gone through the full rigours of driving are given driving license. There are reported cases of people who get driving license the same day that they apply for it. Others also get theirs a day or two after. Road signs on our roads are inadequate and some do not have road signs at all. I traveled in 8 districts in the Western Region in February for a project that the office undertook and I must say that, the road network in Ghana is not encouraging at all. It is very dangerous to travel on these roads in Ghana. Street lights aren’t enough, coupled with other factors make the usage of the roads very dangerous.

I believe that, when more policemen are recruited to serve as traffic wardens, it’ll go a long way to help reduce accidents. They should be made to stand at relatively short distances to check on drivers to make sure that they do not overspeed. Before a bus takes off from let say Neoplan station at Circle to Kumasi, passengers should know the distance and the time the car is supposed to get to its destination. Passengers should tell drivers to stop overspeeding when they do so. Most passengers sit down unconcerned whilst drivers overspeed. What passengers fail to understand is that, most of time, the drivers escape unhurt in accidents.

We are now in the days where road accidents are rampant, thus all must help to ensure that our road s are safe for traveling. The MTTU, DVLA, Police, NCCE and other agencies must double their effort to reduce and prevent road accidents. People are really dying and we are all not excluded. It could be anyone else. Road accident doesn’t know the rich or the poor, ordinary person or VIP. Suzzy Williams, Kwame Owusu Ansah, Terry Bonchaka, Mr. Ferdinand Anyim (former special assistant to Jake Obetsebi Lamptey) and other public figures all died through road accidents. We need everyone around to help move the nation forward.

Till I come your way another time, I continue to remain yours truly

FELIX DONKOR (FEDOK)

MAN UTD, BEWARE!!!!!!

Last weekend, I received a txt message from a dear friend and a strong Man Utd friend, Hector. We were both on campus together and know him too well. I sent him a txt message during their premier league match with Tottenham and he replied. I would like to share what transpired with u, dear readers.

I sent him this. “Referee Webb is a complete thief. What a total robbery at Old Trafford. Away tswa wa (meaning, playing away is difficult).”

He replied with this message, “de referee has done nothing wrong, wait until I lay ma hands on u n u will suffer de bitter pill of ayele (meaning 3 goals without a reply).”

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha … I find this a funny one. Referee Webb will not officiate in our champions league match come Wednesday @ the Old Trafford (now Old Thrashford, courtesy Liverpool). This is a referee who has been accused of being a Man Utd fan by Everton manager, David Moyes before the FA cup semi final match which Man Utd eventually lost to Everton at Wembly. This same man was again made to handle the match between Man Utd and Tottenham and he gave a dubious penalty which Ronaldo scored easily. Everyone has to watch and judge for himself or herself whether it was indeed a penalty. The least said about Mr. Webb, the better.
Most football pundits wrote Arsenal off prior to the commencement of the season but I am sure those people have started revising their notes, now that Arsene Wenger and his little kids (as people always say about our team) are making wonders in all competitions, especially in the ongoing champions league. We started the season without some key players like Alexander Hleb, Mathieu Flamini and Philippe Senderos that we lost to Barcelona and AC Milan, as well as Gilberto Silva to Panathanaikos. Of course, we also lost Tomas Rosicky, Eduardo da Silva, Theo Walcott, etc to injury, but through perseverance, determination, hardwork and the motivation injected into the team by the manager, Arsene Wenger, the team has lived up to expectation. So far so good and I believe there is more to be done to make the team stronger.
Our game against Villareal at the Emirates was indeed a tall order for Arsenal, taking into consideration that we lost our number one goalie, Manuel Almunia, together with 4 other influential players, William Gallas, Johan Djorou, Gael Clichy and Bacary Sagna to injury but we managed to sail through, courtesy, three goals from Theo Walcott, Emmanuel Adebayor and Robin Van Persie. I however commend the entire team for bringing this success to the supporters and subsequently qualifying us to the semi finals to face current champions Man Utd. I have heard our opponents made so much noise about the impending match at the Old Trafford on Wednesday, but what I will say is that, the pitch will decide. After all, we beat Man Utd 2 goals to 1 this season. If Alex Ferguson and his old men think Arsenal is a cool chop, then they should revise their notes after watching us against Chelsea, Liverpool and Middlesbrough, even with our depleted squad. Thankfully, Almunia, Clichy, Sagna and Djorou are returning and it will be a different ball game altogether. If they think names and age are used to play soccer, then they should ask AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus, Real Madrid who have all tasted the bitter pill of youthful exuberance from Arsenal. Names do not play football and I promise them hell. I concede that Man Utd is a very good team but not when it involves Arsenal. I trust Walcott, Adebayor, Nasri, Van Persie, Fabregas, Eduardo and co to enable Arsenal sail through. As a matter of concern, if Alex Ferguson has planned to win this year’s champions league before he retires as a coach, then he must be joking because there is no way the trophy will elude us. I expect an Arsenal – Barcelona in Rome and nothing else. Let us all wait to see how we gun down Man Utd home and away.
Michael Nyarko, Lloyd Scanty, Bismark, Philippo, Nana Kwame Yankson, Patrick Otchere, and all Arsenal fans, I assure you that we will be smiling very soon.

Arsenal, unless gun!! Gunners for ever.