By William Mbangula OSHAKATI A meeting called by the Catholic Aids Action (CAA) as a way to educate community leaders on the seriousness and impact of the HIV/AIDS infection rate in the community, was held here recently. The meeting, attended by local leaders in and around Ongwediva, was organized by the Catholic Aids Action and Youth Education Services in Oshana region. Youth Education Services leader, Monica Iipinge, said the meeting was to introduce the CAA to the local leaders and to share with them the experiences from both sides of the communities. By sharing such information, they would be empowered to take the information to their respective duty stations and help prevent further spread of the pandemic. Iipinge appealed to the young people to always attend lessons related to social behaviour because this helped them to understand the dangers posed by the pandemic. She complained about some detractors who normally accused the HIV/AIDS counsellors of educating the children about indulgence in sexual activities. She said what the counsellors were doing, was in the best interests of the community, including the youth. The meeting was also addressed by Vicky Kakulu who has been living with the disease for the past 13 years. Kakulu, 36, a mother of two, has been visiting various centres and gatherings to help the community know how to avoid being infected. “I want to appeal to those who are already infected not to spread it further and to use all the precautionary measures possible to save their lives and the nation. I want also to request all the people in Namibia to be tested in order to know their status and to enable them to receive proper medication on time,” she said.