Paddies storm James Town for outreach programme
Paddies, an Accra-based network of young professionals, will tomorrow morning storm James Town in Accra for an outreach programme aimed at influencing residents of the community to adopt healthier lifestyles to help combat the deadly HIV and AIDS and Ebola.
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Led by its President, Franklin Sowah, members of the group, including George Andah, the NPP parliamentary candidate for Awutu Senya West; IMANI Ghana’s Franklin Cudjoe; sports medicine specialist Dr Prince Pambo; Dr Ben Sarkodie and Dr Maame Fuwaa, will seek to educate and empower residents of the coastal community, who will converge around the James Town Roundabout (behind Mantse Agbonaa).
The event, a collaboration between Paddies and UNAIDS, will run from 6 a.m. to 12 noon.
Engagement of residents
Given the deadly nature and spread of HIV and AIDS, tomorrow’s outreach programme will see Paddies engaging the residents, particularly the youth who are the most vulnerable, to help them make informed choices and better manage the crisis.
The group will stress the need for people to undergo voluntary tests to know their HIV status, seek treatment to stay alive and well and talk on the use of condoms.
In the case of Ebola, improved personal hygiene as the first step, regular washing of hands after handshakes, consumption of well-cooked food and staying in a clean environment will be some of the issues the outreach programme will address.
Mr Sowah said he was excited about tomorrow’s programme, which is the first of charity projects the group will undertake this year.
Chariity work
As part of its second anniversary last year, the group organised a health-screening exercise and presented assorted items valued at more than GH¢50,000 to residents of an adopted village — Koteiman, near Pokuase in the Greater Accra Region.
It also collaborated with hiplife star, Okyeame Kwame, on his Hepatitis B educational campaign and also donated money to support the 100 Incubators Project launched by Peace FM’s broadcaster, Kwami Sefa Kayi, also a member of Paddies.