Born again leaders launch campaign to curtail HIV spread in Bunyoro

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HOIMA - Born Again pastors in the Bunyoro sub-region have launched a campaign to contain the spread of HIV/AIDS in the area.

Bishop Nicholas Kasaija of Hoima Christian Fellowship Church said that the leaders have committed to directly participate in the campaign aimed at bringing down the spread of HIV in the area.

To achieve this, Kasaija said they have developed a program to sensitise all pastors and believers under their jurisdiction about HIV, providing them with relevant information to arouse their curiosity to actively participate in the fight against the spread of the virus.

Bishop Kasaija addressing the Born Again pastors during the regional meeting in Hoima City. (Credit: Wilson Asiimwe)

He said that the campaign demands that all pastors at all levels regularly dedicate time to openly speak to their congregations about HIV and emphasize prevention. 

Bishop Dr Richard Magongo, the Public Relations Officer for the National Fellowship of Born-Again Pentecostal Churches of Uganda (NFBPC), said on Wednesday, while meeting the district leaders of the born-again churches in Hoima city, that there was a need for the churches to actively engage in the fight against HIV if Uganda is to achieve its target of zero new infections in 2030.

Magonga said that AHF Uganda Cares, in collaboration with Uganda AIDS Commission and Pentecostal churches in Uganda, are conducting a regional Faith leaders dialogue with the National Fellowship of Born-Again Pentecostal Churches of Uganda in the different regions of the country.

Some of the Born Again leaders during the regional meeting in Hoima city on Wednesday. (Credit: Wilson Asiimwe)

He said that the regional meetings are to update faith leaders on the state of HIV/AIDS and progress towards ending AIDS by 2030. Disseminate HIV prevention messages across faith communities and share the National Action Plan for the Faith Sector to strengthen HIV prevention, care and treatment & and psychosocial support.

He said that Faith leaders reach over 95% of Ugandans, making their role in ending AIDS by 2030 indispensable.

Linox Mugume, a Masindi-based pastor, said that many of the pastors have had limited knowledge about HIV, and the training has helped to empower them with knowledge.

“We have a challenge for some people who get saved within one month. They establish churches and they start faking miracles to heal HIV and stop people from taking drugs,” Mugume said.

Mugume said that they are discouraging their faithful from engaging in risky behaviours that expose them to the risk of contracting or transmitting the virus. In addition to preaching, the pastors and their structure leaders are putting up HIV prevention campaign messages in the compounds of churches to consistently remind the faithful about the virus.