| International football star, Michael Essien of English Premier League side Chelsea FC & Ghana’s Black Stars and Rennes of France’s stalwart defender John Mensah, who also captains the Black Stars have visited and interacted with HIV infected children being supported by an African charity organization, the two footballers are involved in.
Essien and Mensah are Special Advocates for the (Woyome Foundation for Africa) WOFA’s One-for-One campaign, which is devoted toward the provision of Treatment, Therapy & Care for children infected with HIV/AIDS.
As Special Advocates, the two international football stars have been helping financially in various activities to raise funds and also advocacy to end stigmatisation and garner support for HIV patients.
The visit to the Ridge Hospital’s ART Centre in Accra was to help the two footballers interact with the children and better understand the severity of the problem. So far, one hundred and eighty-three (183) children infected with HIV/AIDS are receiving free drugs and boosters under the Campaign at various treatment centres across the country.
“This will continue for a whole year and renewed thereafter” says WOFA’s Head of HIV Counselling Unit, Lawrence Asomaining.
Essien and John’s visit and interaction with the children was a great morale booster as it offered the children with an opportunity to interact with the two International Stars and encouraged that society has not after all abandoned them.
Deeply touched by what they saw and heard, John Mensah appealed to society to help in ensuring that the children are kept alive, noting that their visit and free interaction with the children is a demonstration of their commitment to helping in the fight against HIV & AIDS, and to “send a clear message that HIV infected persons are like all of us, and do not deserve to be discriminated against.”
More than 2,300 children under-15 died of AIDS-related diseases in 2007, while over 5,000 children are estimated to be in need of antiretroviral therapy but only 597 are receiving treatment. Currently, there are over 17,000 children estimated to be living with HIV.
The campaign is devoted to ensuring that ARTs are supplied to infected children free of charge, and currently 183 children have been registered and are receiving free drugs for a whole year. The beneficiary children receive their supplies from the Ridge Hospital, Ketu District Hospital, Ada Government Hospital, Cape Coast Hospital and the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital Treatment Centres.
Management of WOFA has expressed their gratitude to the two football stars, staff of Shell Ghana Limited who organized various activities including taking part in the Kilimanjaro mountain climbing challenge to raise funds and the staff of Michelletti Ghana for supporting the campaign.
It costs only $100 to provide ARTs to a child for a whole year. Do you want to support and help keep a child alive? Contact STAN@wofound.org or VITUS@wofound.org and you’ll be saving a life.
Background:
WOFA is a charity foundation registered in Ghana and is focused on providing care and support for People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA), and protection and support for Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVCs). Under its Africa Life Aid Project, the Woyome Foundation for Africa has initiated a number of activities and campaigns to draw attention to the problem; raise funds globally for the care of PLWHAs & OVCs (Orphaned & Vulnerable Children) and behavioural change to end stigmatization. For further information about the Foundation, visit www.wofound.org or www.africalifeaid.org. |
