In his keynote address at the launch of this month’s campaign, the executive chairman of the African Methodist Episcopal Services Trust (AMEST), Reverend Mpho Moruakgomo said that the nation is bedevilled by a very cruel disease that kills the youth in great numbers.
He lamented the fact that HIV/AIDS infects people through sex, which is supposed to be life giving.
He implored all church leaders to extensively work together in sensitising their congregations, especially the youth on sexual and reproduction problems.
“The young people of today grow up quickly. Most of them reach puberty at a very early stage. We no longer have the traditional schools of bogwera and bojale where youngsters used to be taken through detailed training and lessons on their sexuality. We must teach our children at church on these issues. It is even imperative to start educating them while they are still at Sunday school level,” he said.
The theme of this year’s event is:
“A healthy church is a church that deals with sexuality concerns of its youth”.
Moruakgomo did not mince words when he talked about the need and importance for the church to join hands in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
“Right now people and organisations are busy on the battlefront while the church is idling. The church must stop its day-to-day activities and focus all its time and resources on the fight against the disease. Otherwise the nation will fight a losing war,” he warned.
He pleaded with the church followers and the gathering at large to provide good parenting to the youth and to developed sound interpersonal relationships with them. This should make sure that life threatening problems such as HIV/AIDS between child and parent or church elders are openly discussed without fear or shame.
“Let us not hide anything from our children. It is our duty to make them aware of the risks they are exposed to as they indulge in sexual intercourse. As elders and parents, we are duty bound to share this message with them,” he pleaded.
The prevalence of HIV/AIDS, according to Moruakgomo, has pierced through the walls of religion, killing followers in large numbers. He said the church is not immune from pandemics bedeviling the society and as a wakeup call, men and women of the cloth should lead the fight against HIV/AIDS.
The BCC has incorporated the Adolescence Sexual Reproductive Health (ASRH) programme to augment the struggle against HIV/AIDS. The ASRH coordinator Edna Maine says the prayer month is aimed at lobbying church leaders and parents to join hands in combating the scourge by mainstreaming HIV/AIDS issues into all church activities. It advocates for young people in the church to access services and information on HIV/AIDS and sexual reproduction.
“Through our partnership with Botswana National Youth Council African Youth Alliance, Evangelical Foundation, Organisation of African Independent Churches and other stakeholders, we try to educate church followers and members of society through nation-wide campaigns in the month of September,” she explained.
She said that the campaigns help in giving hope and moral support to people affected and infected by HIV/AIDS.
Maine believes that the war against HIV/AIDS can be won if the youth are actively involved in the planning, implementation and management of ASRH programmes supported by parents, teachers and the community.
“I was quite impressed with the turn up at the Kanye kgotla. If people could turn up in large numbers like this, then I can assure you the message will reach out to the whole nation and thereby bring us closer to victory,” she enthused.
