By Nadine Wilson Observer staff reporter wilsonn@jamaicaobserver.com Monday, June 02, 2014
The National Family Planning Board (NFPB) has urged pastors to contribute to the fight against HIV by intensifying their promotion of faithfulness between partners and talking more about sex in their sermons.
Director for enabling environment and human rights at the NFPB, Karlene Temple - Anderson, suggested that faith-based organisations (FBO) should play their part by encouraging couples to remain committed to each other.
"That is one area that we have been trying to promote, but we have not been doing a good job at it, we must admit. so we would love assistance in that area, since we are all on the same page on that topic," Temple-Anderson told a gathering of pastors on Friday at the Jamaica Conference Centre during a church leaders and pastors' HIV conference.
"What we are asking is that FBOs take the mantra and push both partners’ faithfulness. That's the mandate you are comfortable with, that is... one of the preventative methods that we are promoting, so you would be in keeping with your goal and with your belief," she argued.
The call for the churches to help is more urgent now, as funding to assist in counteracting the spread of the virus has been dwindling over the last few years, even as estimates show that 34,000 persons are living with HIV in Jamaica, despite the fact that schools have been promoting abstinence and the health sector continues to distribute condoms.
"The money that we used to receive no longer exist; so a conversation around funding is something that we need to look at, in terms of locally, if we can get the private sector to assist in the process...” said Temple-Anderson. more
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