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Humjibre Schools Compete in District Football Tournament

If Ghana had a national past-time, it would undoubtedly be soccer, known internationally as ‘football.’ Schools throughout the Bibiani-Anwhiaso-Bekwai (BAB) District, public and private, suspended classes the last week of November, so that students could compete in the annual Athletics Gala, a weeklong sports contest featuring track events and a football tournament. Humjibre’s primary and junior high schools kicked off the week with track races from the 100 meter dash up to 5K run.

But the crowning event came on Thursday with the junior high football game that would decide which school advances to the District semifinals in Bekwai. Historically, Humjibre’s Anglican Junior High has dominated this event over the smaller Deeper Life and Muoho Junior High schools, with the Anglican boys’ team advancing all the way to the finals in Bibiani in 2005. GHEI staff joined the community at the Humjibre football field, a dusty expanse lacking the turf or markings of a proper field, to cheer on their favoured teams. With a first quarter goal, the Anglican boys’ team defeated Muoho 1-0, securing them a spot in the semis at Bekwai. Penalty shoot-outs decided the girls’ matches with Deeper Life defeating Muoho 4-3, after Muoho defeated Anglican 4-3.

Humjibre and the surrounding communities look forward to cheering these teams to victory at Bekwai later this month.

--Natalie Rich, GHEI Communications Director

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GHEI Celebrates World AIDS Day

GHEI Community Health Worker (CHW), Lydia Ampomaning, demonstrates how to use a condom to a group of giggling adolescents at GHEI’s World AIDS Day celebration. Over 200 people, including Humjibre’s Chief and Elders, gathered at Humjibre Community Centre for this year’s festivities, where a DJ kicked off the event at 6:30pm. By 7:30, the hall was packed. GHEI Program Manager Clement Donkor opened by explaining that stigmas and misconceptions still run rampant in Humjibre and around the world. He urged community members to avoid spreading the disease by using condoms and to fight the stigma which prevents so many from seeking testing and treatment. Following his comments, a series of short films were shown, ranging from a cartoon illustration of the AIDS virus attacking the body and a re-enactment showing a person getting tested for HIV.

Humjibre CHWs moved through the crowd demonstrating proper condom use in small groups and addressing audience questions. One high school student, Stephen, commented that the videos answered some of the questions he had about HIV/AIDS and how it is spread. Like many of the young people who attended, Stephen chose to remain on the outskirts of the crowd, but gradually migrated to the front when the CHWs began the condom demonstrations.

Select staff and CHWs managed two confidential condom distribution stations outside the event, allowing men and women to receive condoms in separate discreet locations. Over 800 condoms were distributed during the celebration, and all GHEI CHWs and Peer Educators received 26 condoms to distribute among people in the surrounding communities.

Humjibre’s Chief, Nana Kwadwo Twum II, closed the celebration by reminding people that HIV/AIDS remains both a global and a local problem. He urged people to protect themselves through abstinence and condom use. Thanking GHEI for its efforts to educate people and to promote HIV/AIDS awareness, he explained the importance of fighting diseases like HIV/AIDS in communities like Humjibre: “Reducing HIV leads to a healthier community, and a healthy community surely paves the way towards development.” Read more about how GHEI promotes HIV/AIDS prevention and sexual health in the Reproductive Health section of GHEI Programs page.


--Natalie Rich, GHEI Communications Director

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