Creating awareness for preventing AIDS underscored

There is no alternative to creating adequate awareness for preventing threat of spreading HIV/AIDS through disseminating proper education, knowledge and social values among the vulnerable group people.
Speakers said this at a community advocacy meeting on ‘HIV Prevention and Control among High Risk Population and Vulnerable Young People in Bangladesh’ organised by Rangpur Drop-in-Centre (DIC)-1 of Help and Education for Least-privileged People (HELP) at its office here on Tuesday afternoon.
Noted educationist Abul Hossain presided over the meeting participated by community leaders, transport workers, teachers, public representatives, social workers, religious leaders, civil society members, hijra community people, journalists and elite. Coordinator of Rangpur DIC-1 of HELP Chhomir Uddin presented the keynote paper narrating the present HIV/AIDS situation and activities of the organisation in expanding provision of essential services to street based and hotel/residence based sex workers.
Outreach Supervisor of Rangpur DIC-1 of the NGO Rashedul Islam, Field Officers Mohammad Ronny and Reajul Haque Shah, journalists Badal Rahman, businessmen Sajjadur Rahman Shimul, Omar Faruk took part in the open discussion, among others.
The speakers said the killer HIV-AIDS diseases have been posing formidable threats to human life and social health with possibilities of further spreading everywhere, as the situation in the neighbouring countries is already vulnerable. The situation could turn worse if the vulnerable group people continue their unsafe sexual habit and blood donation as those increase possibility of spreading the HIV/AIDS and other Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs), they said.
They asked the community people for conducting awareness building campaign for all people in the society including the vulnerable groups and floating sex workers in both urban and rural areas to work against these silent killer diseases.
They put especial emphasis on bringing the sexually minority population, hijra people, transport sector workers and socially backward population under the ongoing prevention programme for preventing spread of these deadly diseases.
Call for ensuring maternal, neonatal health services
 Speakers at a views-sharing meeting have stressed for comprehensive and well-coordinated GO-NGO efforts to ensure maternal and neonatal healthcare services for reducing maternal and infant mortality rates.
World Renew, a local NGO, under its ‘Supoth Sujiban’ project organised the meeting for members of its ‘Swanirvar Group’ with the assistances of Anirban Jano Sangathan at Dimla upazila parishad auditorium in Nilphamari on Tuesday afternoon.
Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Dimla Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman attended the meeting as the chief guest with Chairman of Anirban Jano Sangathan Abdus Samad in the chair. Dimla Sadar union chairman Tofizul Islam attended and addressed the meeting as the special guest.
Project Manager of ‘Supoth Sujiban’ project Shilash Baske and its Filed Manager Manoranjan Roy narrated the present situation on maternal and neonatal health services scenario in the meeting moderated by Field Trainer of the project Masud Rana.
The speakers called upon all concerned for playing their due role in implementing the government’s five-year term programme to reduce maternal and neonatal deaths to the minimum by 2016 through ensuring maternal and neonatal health services at all levels. They informed that all necessary technical assistance, medicine, equipment and skilled manpower are being provided to the service providing organisations concerned at all levels for implementation of the programme effectively.