NGO Consumates Marriages For HIV/AIDS Patients

Mairuga Support Group, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) in Faskari Local Government Area of Katsina State, has consummated six marriages among People Living with HIV/AIDS ( PLWHA).

The NGO’s Coordinator, Alhaji Sani Garba, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Faskari that 79 people were enlisted in the NGO’s support services from Faskari and Sabuwa local governments.

Garba said NGO’s activities included sensitisation and counselling people on the scourge, as well as facilitating testing and enrolment of patients for treatment at designated government centres.

He said with the support from Katsina State Deputy Governor, Alhaji Abdullahi Garba, and the wife of the Katsina State Governor, Hajia Fatima Shema, people living with virus were being supported for daily upkeeping.

According to him,  the NGO  has organised skills acquisition training on knitting, sewing, soap making and other  vocations.

In addition,  take-off funds have been disbursed to beneficiaries, especially all people living with HIV/AIDS.
He explained that the  NGO also provided them with fares to treatment centres and money to defray marriage expenses. 

The coordinator said rural women were more vulnerable to HIV and AIDS .

He explained that this was because  many men travelled to various parts of the country for job opportunities and in some cases became infected  only for them to infect their spouses in turn.

He called on authorities and community leaders to be vigilant on consummating marriages by conducting test on suspected  persons.

He  commended the support enjoyed from  the wife of Katsina State governor, deputy governor, Faskari Local Government and  the Katsina State Action Committee on HIV/AIDS.

 The coordinator urged wealthy individuals and organisations to emulate them, noting that reducing the spread of  HIV/AIDS  was a collective responsibility.