PPAG's Collaboration with Ghana Prisons Service

Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG), whose primary focus had been family planning for three decades, started to widen its scope in 1999 to cover other sexual and reproductive health (SRH) needs, including HIV/AIDS. In this context, PPAG has embarked on a number of projects with a goal of increasing knowledge of HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections, addressing high risk behaviors while reducing the incidence of HIV/AIDS and STIs amongst prison inmates.

Prison inmates tend to have a higher HIV prevalence than the national average. The National Health and HIV Survey of Prison Inmates in Ghana (2013), the first nationally representative bio-behavioral survey of HIV and other key health problems of prison inmates in the country, disclosed that HIV prevalence among prison inmates in Ghana was 2.3% (male inmates: 1.5%, female inmates: 11.8%).

From 2001 to 2004, PPAG implemented the STI and HIV/AIDS Prevention Project among Prison Inmates in Kumasi Central Prisons, funded by the Japan Trust Fund with the goal to increase the knowledge of HIV/AIDS and reduce the incidence of STIs among young prison inmates as well as to increase their access to STI and VCT services.

In 2009, PPAG was selected as one of the principal recipients of the Global Fund. PPAG continued to train peer educators in each prison to reach the inmates with HIV/AIDS and STI prevention messages, conducted HIV testing and counseling activities, and facilitated access to treatment, care and support services for those infected with HIV and other STIs. Between January 2010 and June 2015, PPAG implemented grants worth US$ 3,137,859, thereby consistently improving performance over time. For this reason, PPAG was again nominated as a Principal Recipient of the Global Fund under the New Funding Model.