Online Reporter
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu [email protected]
CHIEF Sangulube from Mangwe District has said upscaling education on culture, tradition, and moral values is key to addressing teenage pregnancies and early child marriages.
Speaking on the implementation of the “Not in My Village Campaign” during a media tour organised by the National AIDS Council (NAC), Chief Sangulube said community members as well as leadership have a major role to play in disseminating this information to young people.
He said another strategy they have adopted under the “Not in My Village Campaign” is engaging church leaders.
“We have to catch them while they are young and inculcate the right mindset among youngsters. We use various platforms, and one of them is the sporting events which we usually have in the community where youngsters will be playing football or netball. We use that platform to educate them on HIV-related issues, teenage pregnancies, child marriages, behaviour, respect, and morals.
“We also have to educate our youngsters on our culture, tradition, and moral values. This information is fast dwindling, and we are losing our culture and tradition as a people,” he said.
Chief Sangulube said this teaching should also encompass the manner in which young girls should dress. He added that drug and substance abuse among youngsters is also alarming.
Chief Sangulube said moulding the youngsters is crucial to the nation’s development agenda. He said youngsters are the future and need to be productive.
He said it is a concern that the HIV prevalence in Mangwe and Bulilima Districts is very high, surpassing the provincial and national prevalence rates — a clear indication that a lot still needs to be done.
Bulilima District has an HIV prevalence rate of 17,6 percent, making it the highest in Matabeleland South Province, while Mangwe has a prevalence of 16,8 percent.
“We have made significant strides in awareness campaigns. Immediately after a workshop where we were trained under the ‘Not in My Village Campaign’, I engaged my headmen, village heads, and kraal heads on the issue and the need for leadership to take a leading role in this programme.
“As parents and leaders, we have the obligation to see to it that our children follow our footsteps culturally, religiously, and in other aspects. I tasked each traditional leader to ensure that people in their area know about the ‘Not in My Village Campaign’,” he said.
@DubeMatutu
