HIV-AIDS AWARENESS

In an encouraging development religious leaders in Manipur have joined hands in the fight against the high prevalent of HIV/AIDS in the State. With the aim to spread the awareness of HIV/AIDS and to help fight the stigma and discrimination attached with the disease in the grass root level, a one day seminar of the religious on HIV/AIDS was held on Saturday morning at the Manipur Press Club in Imphal. Organized by the Bosco Mangal, Don Bosco Chingmeirong Imphal in collaboration with the Christian Relief Services (CRS), the seminar was attended by various religious leaders and also from the NGOs and medical experts related on HIV/AIDS. Interaction among participants of the seminar and sharing of experiences by people living with HIV/AIDS, questioning and answering marked the seminar. Home >> Headlines Fight against HIV/AIDS: Religious leaders join hands Source: The Sangai Express / Newmai News Network Imphal, January 10 2009: In an encouraging development religious leaders in Manipur have joined hands in the fight against the high prevalent of HIV/AIDS in the State. With the aim to spread the awareness of HIV/AIDS and to help fight the stigma and discrimination attached with the disease in the grass root level, a one day seminar of the religious on HIV/AIDS was held on Saturday morning at the Manipur Press Club in Imphal. Organized by the Bosco Mangal, Don Bosco Chingmeirong Imphal in collaboration with the Christian Relief Services (CRS), the seminar was attended by various religious leaders and also from the NGOs and medical experts related on HIV/AIDS. Interaction among participants of the seminar and sharing of experiences by people living with HIV/AIDS, questioning and answering marked the seminar. While delivering the key note address during the seminar, the administrator of the Bosco Mangal, Rev Fr Nebu Mathew pointed out that religious leaders were often uncomfortable when speaking of HIV/AIDS and opined that this feeling should be discarded at this critical stage. He instead urged them to use their strength, credibility in order to perform at the grass root level and help fight the discrimination against those living with the disease. Further during his speech, Fr Nebu Mathew also asserted that religious leaders should accept it as a challenge and responsibility in giving care and support, and added that they (leaders) should stop viewing it as sin following the sources of transmission of the disease. Also speaking during the seminar, Radharani, a staff nurse of the Regional Institute of Medical Science (RIMS) held that stigma and discrimination was an attitude of the people which the leaders should be aware of. She also asserted that speaking of awareness on sex and the use of condoms etc. were often viewed otherwise at the religious places. Religion sometimes acts as stumbling block in fighting the disease, she added. She also laid out the need for the leaders to understand the basic knowledge of prevention and sources of transmission of the HIV/AIDS to help fighting the disease at the grass root level.