ANAYD holds one day consultation on COVID-19 response mechanism with adolescents in Anambra

By Chukwudi Ndubeze

African Network of Adolescents and Young Persons Development (ANAYD) has held a one day consultation on covid-19 response mechanism with Adolescents and Young People in their diversities in Anambra State

www.odogwublog.com reports that the consultation programme took place in Awka recently and was sponsored by Global fund.

However, ANAYD Executive Director, Mr. Aaron Sunday, who spoke at the event, advised the Anambra state government to partner with foreign donor Agencies to prioritize more investment on Covid -19, especially in the area of communication and risks in relation to COVID 19 vaccine.

Mr. Sunday emphasized that a collaboration between the State government and the Organization will help to empower youths to teach their communities and discuss with their peers about misconceptions of COVID 19 and in turn spur them to participating actively in the ongoing COVID -19 vaccination.

He further explained that ANAYD is an organization that works with Adolescent and Young people in their diversities in Nigeria and Africa, working in 6 geological zone in Nigeria since 2017. He disclosed that the organization had been looking deeply at prioritizing the campaign for the youth who he said are the most vulnerable group, to ensure the issues are addressed like sexual violence and related matters.

In her remark, the Program Officer for ANAYD in Anambra State, Ifechukwu Juliet, stressed that the organization had been working assiduously to address the challenges of the youth in their diversities like HIV Aids,TB, and Malaria, stating that youths are the key population in the society.

She encouraged the youths who were selected from community based organizations in Anambra state to be at the forefront of fighting misconceptions about COVID-19 and other related matters. She stated that the organization had been on the process of signing a Memoradum of Understanding with the Anambra State Ministry of Health to enable them move on with their projects in the state.

Also in her teaching series, Mrs. Olayide Akanni, a consultant for ANAYD, emphasized that Nigeria as a country received a base of $133m from the global fund for covid 19 control and containment interventions including PPE, diagnosis treatment, communication and other public measures as specified in World Health Organization’s guidance, including program to fight HIV, TB, and Malaria through community engagement via the civil society.

She Expressed joy towards the willingness to engage and participate among the youths in Anambra state, calling for more sensitization campaigns on COVID-19 measures among the younger generation in the State.

Meanwhile, a representative of the State Ministry of Health and the Program Manager of State AIDS/STI control program, Dr Afam Anieme, applauded the support of ANAYD towards the freedom of the youth in sexual violence and molestation and promised the full support of the Ministry towards their ongoing projects in the state.