Second Lady donates to AIDS centre

Mrs Matilda Amissah Arthur, wife of the Vice President, on Friday visited Mathew 25 House, an HIV/AIDS care centre in Koforidua and donated some items to the inmates.

The items include blankets, plastic buckets and cups, packs of rice and beverages to the inmates to support their upkeep.

Mrs Arthur said she was touched by the services provided by the House to the vulnerable and decided to pay a visit and interact with the inmates.

She encouraged them to take their drugs and be ambassadors for change by talking to people about the reality of the diseases to reduce its prevalence.

The House was established 10 years ago by Monsignor Bobby Benson, Catholic Priest, whose specialty is caring for the sick and dying and the provision of shelter, medical care and support for people infected with HIV.

Currently the House is catering for 53 people living with HIV/AIDS made up of 50 females and three males as well as 87 orphans due to HIV/AIDS and the vulnerable.

Monsignor Benson, Director of the House, told Mrs Athur that most of the inmates had been neglected by their families due to the infection.

He said the House relied on donations from philanthropists of the Catholic Church and other benevolent organisations.

Monsignor Benson said attempts by the House to engage in trading activities to generate funds collapsed due to stigma.

He said some of the inmates came to the House weak and ill but after providing them with medical care and Anti-Retroviral drugs their health improved drastically.

He said the House, as part of efforts to reach out to more vulnerable and sick in the society, would soon construct a hospice, the first of its kind in Ghana, to care for people during their frail moments.

Source: GNA