VISION 

Bring civil society to the awareness of the fundamental truth that man can master the “SELF” through conscious endeavour. And to inspire positive mental empowerment.

MISSION 

Launch an on-going ABSTINENCE crusade against HIV / AIDS, which seeks to generate an appreciation for Abstinence as the only, most effective, lasting and sustainable solution to the HIV menace.

OBJECTIVES 

1. Challenge the thinking that abstinence is impossible through the presentation of a systemic and a well-syndicated self-empowerment mechanism.
2. Generate mass appreciation and support for abstinence as a viable and attainable alternative.
3. Discourage the indiscriminate use of condoms as a more practical solution to the HIV / AIDS.
4. Make Abstinence a trendy and appealing possibility.
5. Assisting people especially the youth through the application of DENIAL Techniques to put them in charge of their lives.
6. Address HIV / AIDS not from a business point of view but from a humanistic point of view.

Some Abstinence Workshop Topics 

1. Positive Mental Empowerment
2. Activating your Will Power
3. Abstinence – what? and how?
4. Self Discipline / Self Denial
5. Mind Conditioning
6. Mastering the Self
7. The God factor

BACKGROUND 

1. Today the HIV menace has become one major pandemic that threatens the survival of the human race.
2. There is a general acceptance that if a solution is not found to prevent the spread of this monster the entire human race will be wiped off the surface of the earth.
3. Research has shown that it is the African continent, which is worse hit by the disease.

   The Family Health International has revealed in a research document that in Sub- Saharan Africa up to 56 percent of annual profits are lost because of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. In addition, according to the New Report on Global Impact of HIV/AIDS on the Youth, by the end of the decade 21.5 Million Young People Ages 15 to 24 Worldwide are expected to be living with HIV/AIDS.

   • Essentially, NIMDIE is a unique and innovative approach which aims at tackling the HIV / AIDS from a more introspective, analytic and humanistic point of view through an exhaustive diagnostic enquiry into the HIV / AIDS subject and then come out with recommendations and actions that would provide lasting solution to this deadly menace.
   • Principally, the NIMDIE Initiative is making strong recommendation for ABSTINENCE as the only genuine and sustainable solution to the HIV /AIDS problem. By abstinence we mean the act of mastering the self and keeping its desires within control limits. This perspective hinges on the fundamental truth that man over the years has become increasingly enslaved to his passions and desires. And that it is mans’ inability and unwillingness to keep his sexual desires under control that has given rise to his increased susceptibility to contracting HIV / AIDS.
   • NIMDIE highly prescribes that instead of pushing condoms indiscriminately and thereby strengthening and reinforcing mans weakness, conscious attempt must go into empowering civil society to activate the Will Power and whip up the strength that lies within. Thus the NIMDIE INITIATIVE. We intend to inspire hope and confidence by bringing civil society into a state of readiness where there is concerted willingness to take responsibility for our future and the generations that would come after us.

TARGET GROUP 

The NIMDIE Initiative is targeted generally at any person who is susceptible to the contraction of HIV / AIDS. However, we shall start with:

1. Adolescent youth
2. Young Adults
3. Pre-marital

1. Believers in abstinence
2. Non – believers in abstinence

DYNAMIC ABSTINENCE MODEL - DYAM 

WHAT IS DIFFERENT ABOUT THE NIMDIE INITIATIVE 

1. Nimdie deliberately discourages and condemns the indiscriminate use of the condom. In other words Nimdie does not endorse pre-marital sex
2. Nimdie does not offer young people the option to choose between the use of condom and abstinence. It says ABSTINENCE IS THE ONLY OPTION.
3. Nimdie Acknowledges that abstinence is difficult. And Yet asserts that in the phase of a menace that promises to wipe off the entire human race no price is too high to pay, no height too high to jump and of course no challenge is too hard to confront.
4. Beyond theory and talk-shops Nimdie will teach Practical Techniques that will help the youth to Abstain on a sustainable schedule.

METHODOLOGY – How do we go about this? 

As has been already stated, the immediate target group of the NIMDIE Initiative would be the youth. In our context the youth is defined to be any person who is sexually active and who is not married. Most of this people are either on the streets or are within the walls of learning – the schools (Pre-secondary, Secondary and Tertiary). Special programs and activities would be designed to reach our target from time to time.

PHASES 

1. Phase I

   Phase I would be directed towards the junior secondary schools and those in their early adolescence. It is worth mentioning that this category within the target groups represents the most promising future for the abstinence fight against HIV / AIDS. Most of the people in this category have not yet started active sexual lifestyle so that instilling the Abstinence concept into them would be relatively easier than the other categories.

2. Phase II

   Phase II would see the NIMDIE Initiative reaching the second cycle institutions. For the purpose of proximity and to be cost effective we shall concentrate on secondary schools in the Greater Accra region and then later broaden the scope of operation by extending the program to the other regions. Our purpose is to reach every second cycle institution in Ghana by the year 2004. This category seems to be the most complicated area looking at the biological transformations that these people go through.

3. Phase III

   Phase III will constitute Abstinence campaigns that are directed to adolescent youth and young adults in the various neighbourhoods and communities. The intent is to ensure that beyond the confines of the classroom the NIMDIE Initiative stretches to reach as many youth as possible across the nation. At this level the engagement of neighbourhood clubs would be largely solicited.

4. Phase IV

   The final phase would initially geared be towards the three premier universities in Ghana namely; University of Ghana, University of Science and Technology and University of Cape coast. The idea is to first teach Abstinence to those who having embraced the concept can become very useful instruments in the spread and acceleration of the concept. Close collaborations with school authorities and other state institutions is being sought in this process.

WHERE and HOW DO WE BEGIN? 

Pilot Abstinence Campaigns (PAC)

1. The NIMDIE Initiative by design is on-going and long term
2. Yet for the purpose of effective administration and optimum results we shall embark on what we refer to as the PAC to begin with.
3. PAC will consist of eight(8) schools and two(2) church based groups in Takoradi and one(1) school in Cape Coast.
4. PAC is on-going in GSTS, St. John’s Secondary, Fijai Secondary, OIC(Sekondi-Takoradi) Archbishop Porter Girls Secondary, Holy Child Secondary (Cape Coast) being the Senior Secondary Schools, Nav West JSS, Bishop Essuah JSS, Ebenezer Methodist JSS, Youth Group of KINGS Temple ICGC and Youth Group of Star of the Sea Cathedral.
5. The PAC is analysed as follows:

• Phase I:  Introduction to and confirmation of schools and youth clubs participation in the Nimdie Initiative PAC.
• Phase II:  Introductory Session in schools and youth groups.
• Phase III:  Second and Third Seminar/Session in schools and youth groups. Address concerns of students from previous session, distribution of stickers, brochures and information leaflets.
• Phase IV:  Fourth Seminar/Session in schools and youth groups. Address concerns of youth from second session. Inuagration of Free Thinkers Club and distribution of EasyAbstinence Handbook .
• Phase V: Two follow-up visits to each ” Free Thinkers Clubs”
• Phase VI: Fourth Seminar/Session in schools and youth groups and distribution of EasyAbstinence Books.”
• Phase VII: Summit of all ”Free Thinkers Clubs”