EKITI EMPOWERS 108 PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV/AIDS

Wife of Ekiti State Governor, Erelu Bisi Fayemi, has distributed
another set of empowerment materials worth over N5m to 108 People
Living With HIV/AIDS in the state.
The First Lady, who is also the Chairperson of Ekiti State AIDS
Control Agency, said the gesture underscored the commitment of the
state government to giving the beneficiaries a new lease of life.
The exercise, which was the third since the Governor Kayode Fayemi-led
administration came on board, took place at the Office of the Wife of
Governor, on Wednesday.
The beneficiaries, who converged under the aegis of the Network of
People Living With HIV and AIDS in Nigeria (NEPWHAN), received deep
freezers, computer sets, video cameras, sewing machines, grinding
machines, photocopy machines and clothing, among other items.
The EKSACA boss pledged the continued support of the government for
the NEPWHAN members to live a meaningful life, adding that a lot more
was being done to reduce the HIV/AIDS prevalence to the barest minimum
in the state.
She said, "When I became the Chair of SACA, I insisted that in
everything that we do around HIV/AIDS in Ekiti state, we should ensure
that we empower people who are living with HIV/AIDS and we should be
able to tell people that being HIV positive is not the end of the
world.
"We need to be able to set an example and demonstrate practically what
it means to be living with HIV/AIDS and still have hope. Testing
positive is not the end of the world."
She appealed to those yet to know their HIV status to visit the
nearest health facility and submit themselves for testing and
counselling.
She added that the state government has provided free medical care for
the people living with HIV as part of measures to mitigate the
challenges confronting them. She stressed that the measure has
resulted in tremendous improvement in their life expectancy.
Erelu Bisi Fayemi said, "If you are living with HIV/AIDS and you have
access to good medical care, nutrition and have a means of livelihood,
you can live for as long as God has designed for you on earth."
She thanked the state government and SACA management for their efforts
at ensuring better living standard for the people living with HIV/AIDS
in the state.
While wishing the beneficiaries well in their endeavours, the
governor's wife charged them to use the materials to maximum benefits
to care for themselves and their families.
The Project Manager of SACA, Dr Charles Doherty, said the distribution
of empowerment materials to NEPWHAN members was part of efforts of the
government to reduce poverty and death among them.

He said, "The beauty of this exercise is that one of the NEPWHAN
members supplied all the items being distributed today. This in
essence means that 109 people were empowered today."