Madam Cooper stated that people shouldn’t be in denial anymore and that AIDS was in the society and that parents should guide their children on preventive measures. She said children should not be always allowed to do what they wanted but rather should be encouraged to do what was necessary to prevent them from contracting HIV and AIDS.
Chairman, Sierra Leone Inter-Religious AIDS Network, Sheik Alhassan Kargbo, mentioned that epidemic was not a new thing in the world and that as a people it was up to them to follow instructions and do the right thing to eradicate any disease in the country.
He added: “Our current response is to rebrand ourselves as religious leaders. We don’t want to see ourselves to be confined within the walls of our churches and mosques. We want to give religion a facelift”.
Kargbo further stated that it was their responsibility as religious leaders to influence the social and moral values of society, adding that they also should increase public knowledge and influence political actors in society.
Convince people to live a moral life and that HIV and AIDS was not an exception and that they were calling on people to maintain sexual purity as supported in the Quran and the Bible.
Executive director NETHIPS, Idrissa Songa, pleaded with religious leaders to ensure that all what had been put in beautiful quotes and contexts should be put in to practice.
