Poverty, unemployment promotes HIV/AIDS Cases -NACA
The Deputy Director, Gender, Human Rights and Care Services of National Agency for the Control of AIDS -NACA, Dr Yinka Falola-Anoemuah has revealed that poverty and unemployment can lead more people to contract the Human Immuno-Deficiency Virus, HIV.
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According to Falola-Anoemuah, dealing with the poverty rate and providing an economic base for the people as some of the key structures it developed to contain the spread of the deadly virus.
The NACA Deputy Director disclosed this on Wednesday in Iloko-Ijesa at end of the three days counselling/medical empowerment programme organised for indigenes of the town.
She added that participants of the programme will be given a start-up grant to establish themselves in what they learnt during the programme.
She said, “Poverty is very real and people have to keep skills that will enable them to be financially independent and the government, through this programme, will give them start-up capital for what they have been trained on.”
“NACA is empowered by the Act of the parliament to coordinate all intervention that will help us fight HIV to the end and a very clear linkage has been established by science and research that when people are poor and unemployed, they can engage in risky behaviour that can enable them contract HIV.”
“So, one of the key structural areas, identified globally to fight HIV is to deal with people’s poverty and provide economic base, especially the young people and women.”
“As we are training them about their health, we are also giving them economic base and how to use their time and resources well.”
In his words of appreciation, the Owaloko of Iloko Ijesha, Oba Akeem Ogungbangbe assured NACA of judicious use of the start-up capital.
Oba Ogungbanbe who is the facilitator of the programme urged participants to take advantage of the programme to be self-independent.
“I never knew an agency of government could be this responsive. I want to thank the Director-General of NACA for the kind gesture and I promise my people will utilise this opportunity very well.”
Okwuego/Vanguard
