The Ghana Aids Commission (GAC) and the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Akropong Akuapem, are collaborating on a project to provide support to people living with HIV/Aids in districts.
The project is geared at identifying people living with the condition through informal networks in congregations and providing counselling and support for them.
The project was first begun by the church in the district, when through informal interactions, one person living with the condition was identified.
In two months, through interaction, counselling and support, to that person, eight adults and four children living with the condition had been identified in the district.
The church is now supporting them with some money for their transportation to and from medical centres when they go for their Anti-retroviral drugs and also supporting in ensuring good nutrition.
The Rev George Kwapong, the District Minister of the Presbyterian Church, who disclosed this to the Daily Graphic said the church was now collaborating with the GAC to expand the programme to cover other districts in the region and then nation-wide.
A member of the GAC, Mr Samuel Anyimadu-Amaning, said a commendable element of the project was that the church had through informal networks been able to identify 12 people living with the condition in two months.
That meant that more persons living with HIV/Aids could be identified in all other regions if churches stopped condemning PLWHA and rather used compassion to attract persons with the condition for counselling and other support services.
He said from experience, people suffering from HIV/Aids were scared of opening talking about their status because of stigmatisation and condemnation from some churches who gave the perception that all sufferers contracted the disease through immoral living.
It was therefore refreshing, he said, that the Presbyterian Church in the Akropong/Akuapem district used compassion instead of condemnation to draw PLWHA into support and counselling services.
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