08 Sep 2024

Although Botswana has made inroads in fighting HIV and AIDS, citizens should not drop their guard as doing so can result in the virus flaring up again.

Guest speaker at the launch of the September Month of Prayer in Jwaneng on Sunday, Mr Tony Buru said the achievements made so far in reversing the gains that the pandemic had made in the society were not a reason for Batswana to rest on their laurels in the belief that the war had been won.

Mr Buru, the executive director of Makgabaneng, said HIV and AIDS were still a problem, adding that the upward swing of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) had further compounded the country's disease burden.

He therefore, appealed to the nation to remain resolute in fighting this dual scourge.

Mr Buru also appealed for concerted efforts in addressing Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and road traffic accidents, saying these also continued to disrupt people's lives, at times cutting them short.

Speaking to the theme of this year's prayers:  Developing a Transformative Mindset, Pastor Paul Matthys said the theme was a call for Batswana to lead impactful lives.

Describing the mindset as a powerful tool that could steer one to greatness, he urged those in attendance to endeavour to find their life purpose and shun to merely exist.

Pastor Matthys said a transformative mindset carried the potential to both foster and influence change.

Jwaneng mayor, Ms Olga Ditsie said each year, the September prayers revived in the town's residents the spirit of unity and promoted their sense of kinship.

The mayor then called on government to allocate churches land so that they could construct dignified places of worship.

She said while Jwaneng had a church enclave, lack of land servicing in the area remained a constraint that made it difficult for churches to develop their allocated plots.