Advocacy programme on HIV/AIDS held for church workers

[caption id="attachment_256082" align="aligncenter" width="565"] Participants of the one-day advocacy programme on HIV & AIDS pose for a photograph at KBCA mission centre in Komking, Noklak under Tuensang district, on June 19.[/caption] Dimapur, June 21 (EMN): Nagaland Development Outreach (NDO), a development wing of Nagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC), conducted a one-day advocacy programme on HIV & AIDS for “local area” church leaders under Khiamniungan Baptist Churches Association (KBCA) Nagaland at its mission centre located at Komking, Noklak under Tuensang district, on June 19. According to an update from NDO, the resource persons -- Dr. Toshi Jamir (In charge ART Centre Tuensang), Rev. C. Amop Noklang and A Vikheho Chisho from NDO – spoke on the topics: What is HIV? How it is transmitted? How can we prevent from the disease?;reduce stigma and discrimination; and responsibility of the Church to create a safe environment. A statement from NDO said that it had taken up health, specifically HIV & AIDS, for its mission considering the seriousness of the issue in the Naga society. It went on to say that “the church undoubtedly has a great responsibility in the fight against the pandemic of HIV & AIDS” and that the NBCC has recognised the seriousness of the problem and continues to fight against the pandemic across the state of Nagaland actively by training and equipping church leaders time and again with the support of the Legislator’s Forum on AIDS (LFA).” NDO has partnered with LFA in order to reach out to the masses in advocating and training church leaders to take up more responsibility in addressing the issue.