CONTENTS | ANB-BIA HOMEPAGE | WEEKLY NEWS
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Sierra Leone |
AIDS
As what is described as «near-normality» returns to Sierra Leone
after a
decade of war, health officials have discovered that
the AIDS pandemic
is spreading at an alarming rate
and this has aroused the concern of Church
leaders.
They are now to the forefront in the fight against the disease
In early May this year, Sierra Leone’s Council of Churches (CCSL) organised a Workshop in which church leaders were urged to play a positive role in the fight against AIDS. The Council urged them to work in cooperation with schools, town councils, local chiefs and other institutions, against what has been described as the «unseen killer».
Alimamy Koroma is the CCSL‘s secretary-general. Asked to comment on the situation regarding the onslaught of AIDS, he says: «At present, there is no known cure, and efforts should go into preventing the disease. This can be done by educating people about its mode of transmission.
With concerted action, the disease can be rolled back to enable the beleaguered nation of Sierra Leone to survive. After the Freetown Workshop, church leaders and several institutions have been active in combatting the spread of the pandemic».
Father Theophillos Momoh is a priest on the staff of the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Freetown.
He says: «In the Catholic Church we have been active in educating Christians vis à vis the causes and effect of AIDS. We emphasize strict abstinence from promiscuity».
The on-going disarmament of rebels has paved the way for humanitarian organisations to tour the interior of the country. Health officials say the rate of infection has risen rapidly here. The war situation with all its accompanying adversities —sexual violence and abuse — has been largely to blame.
The first AIDS victims were discovered in 1987 in Bo, southern Sierra Leone. Mr Sidique Brima, Deputy Health and Sanitation Minister says that since then, the rate of infection has been rising steadily and the government is concerned. In May this year, President Tejan Kabbah visited Bo and he called on lorry drivers to be «cautious» and to join in the fight against AIDS. He said that a cabinet sub-committee has been formed to work on a project regarding the HIV/AIDS situation.
The NACP
The National AIDS Control Programme (NACP) is the Office set up by the government in 1987 for the prevention and control of AIDS in Sierra Leone. NACP officials say the current rate of infection is 6% nationwide.
In order to combat the disease’s rapid spread, the NACP has adopted the following strategies:
NACP officials say they have had some successes over the years:
Sierra Leone’s efforts have caught the attention of international organisations. Recently, a World Bank identification mission visited the country, and officials discussed with the government the possibility of preparing a new programme on HIV/AIDS. The Sierra Leone HIV/AIDS Multi-sector Response Project is expected to be effective within a year.
However, it has been realised that in spite of all the identification studies and area projects, there are many communities which can’t be reached by those engaged in the prevention and control of AIDS.
But there are people in such areas, such as teachers and religious leaders, who could be effective carers and educators. This is a view shared by the executive of the Sierra Leone Council of Churches.
«We, the religious leaders have realised that if this killer disease remains unchecked, it will jeopardise the very existence of our once buoyant nation,» says the CCSL‘s secretary-general. The Churches are thus seen as a source of hope.
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