ICHSSA 2: TSC Holds Quarterly Meeting In Ilorin, Restates Objectives and Commitment
By Adetutu Aderemi,
The Technical Steering Committee of Integrated Child Health and Social Services Award ICHSSA 2 project in Kwara state, held its quarterly meeting to discuss way forward on the activities of its target beneficiaries as captured in the project.
This is as it restate its objectives and commitment to ensuring healthy living for OVC and other beneficiaries affected by HIV/Aids, and alleviate poverty of some of the victims or their caregivers, by empowering and providing services that will boost their survival among others.
At the TSC meeting which held at Ilorin South local government secretariat, Hope for Family Development Initiatives, HFDI ED Ambassador Dr Aremu Stephen Akinyele disclosed the commitment of his non-governmental organization to providing needed support to assist identified HIV carriers who needs prompt medical attention and support.
He thanked the ICHSSA 2 Project partners such as Association for Reproductive Family Health ARFH, ARFH, Local Action Committee Against Aids LACA, Ilorin South LG, SPC, DPM among others, adding that in the local government, the domain focus has not shifted, and called on the Councils management to enhance the support of the project.
Also speaking, the state Programme Coordinator for ICHSSA 2 project, Mrs Ada Onourah who commended the USAID funded project in the state, also applauded relevant stakeholders partnering to mitigate the impact of HIV/AIDs in Kwara state.
Frowning at the high rate of people living with HIV in the local government, she postulated the need for testing, knowing status and monitoring the reactive placed on drugs to achieve a community virally suppressed, to prevent the spread of HIV, as well as having extensive discuss on the welfare of the OVC and people living with HIV, aimed at enhancing accelerated access to basic services such as education, quality health, training on financial sustainability.
The Technical Steering Committee agreed on the importance of supporting OVC living with HIV and their household to guarantee retention in care, adherence to anti-retroviral drugs so as to achieve the ultimate aim of viral suppression, in Ilorin south’s healthy, schools, safe and stable domains.
They tasked the local government representatives to notify the Chairman and other executive and see to counselling and actively being involved in HIV testing Service across all the wards in the council.