By Reagan Malumo
KATIMA MULILO
A training workshop for religious leaders arranged by the Regional AIDS Coordinating Committee (RACOC) in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Social Services ended yesterday at Katima Mulilo.
The two-day training was aimed at getting churches closely involved and furnished with ultimate skills and knowledge to enhance their participation in the fight against HIV/AIDS, and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
Despite the recent report by the Ministry of Health and Social Services indicating a slight decrease in the HIV/AIDS prevalence rate from 42.6 percent in 2004 to 39.4 percent in 2006, the Caprivi Region still emerges with the highest rate of HIV infection country-wide.
Because of this, the Chief Health Programme Officer for Special Programmes in the Ministry of Health and Social Services and one of the facilitators, Agnes Mwilima, explained the training as a momentous platform for the transfer of knowledge and facts about HIV/AIDS, thereby sharpening the minds of spiritual leaders in order to gear them for the implementation of HIV/AIDS programmes in their respective churches.
The training was to enable them to stress the importance of condoms and behavioral change in the fight against HIV and other STIs.
She said much emphasis was placed on the importance of the World AIDS Day, the National Condom Day, home based care, nutrition and required diets for those living with HIV/AIDS.
“Pastors are important mentors to church members and because of this we trust that they shall help in motivating and convincing their followers in Jesus Christ to come for voluntary testing and reveal their status. In this way they will be guided to live positively and without fear,” explained Mwilima.
She said since there was no proper integration of the church into other HIV combating organs of the State and NGOs, unity was emphasized and the role of churches in the RACOC and other sub-organs was specifically interpreted.
According to Pastor Richard Limbindo of the Jesus Ministry Church and one of the participants, the training has helped to change participants’ mindset and coached them to realize that HIV/AIDS is one of the greatest obstacles to the growth of religion as many religious members fall victim to such disease.
He said that because it is difficult for church leaders to embrace the use of condoms, the only alternate methods for the church are abstinence and delay in sexual activities till marriage.
The training also touched on the role of churches in taking care of orphans in the society.
Mwilima further promised that follow-up training would be done to equip all religious leaders with basic counselling skills. She said that in this case churches would be able to counsel and lend a hand to frantic members of their churches.
Henceforth, religious leaders are expected to use the knowledge gained to develop their own action plans and integrate HIV/AIDS messages at those events where they normally congregate to offer prayers for the entire nation.
More than 20 members participated in the training.