Religious leaders in Kasungu have commended Parent and Child Health Initiative (PACHI) for the Integrated Covid, Malaria, MNH, SRH and Immunization project being implementing saying it will be an eye opener to many people that they will realize their rights and responsibility as regards to health care service.

This has been said during the workshop which PACHI organized where religious leaders from different dominations met and discuss on how best to carry on with the project so as to yield the desired results.

“We have been greatly honored for being entrusted with such a significant hence sensitive obligation. The duty has been assigned to well qualified authorities considering that we head and lead people in our churches and so we are influential in every aspect”, they said.

The leaders also recognize that it won’t be an easy work since people have beliefs plant long way back in them which can impede successful delivery of messages. However, the leaders have taken an oath to work hand in hand with PACHI in delivering the project and achieve mindset change.

The leaders cited one belief surrounding Covid-19, saying it is a way of controlling population and that the vaccine has come to eliminate the elderlies, and some even believe that covid-19 has come as a punishment to sinners and that Christians have nothing to do with anything relating to covid-19 including the vaccine. At the end of all, leaders have agreed to join hands to bring people to light by giving them right messages.

Atanazio H Eneya who spoke on behalf of the group said in the closing remarks that religious leaders should always be exemplary to their followers, in that they should always be in the fore-front and live by their words.

“We would like to ask the government to consider us as a priority group to get the vaccine since we meet a lot of people in our daily service so we need also to be protected and that we should set a good example to our followers so that they also make good decision being inspired by us their leaders”, Eneya said.

The workshop also focused on vaccination including covid-19 vaccine, safe motherhood, issues of Gender based violence, malaria prevention, child marriages and rights of people living with disabilities.

PACHI is implementing the project in senior chief Chilowamatambe and T/A Njombwa in Kasungu which will run for 12 months. Religious leaders will play a vital role in disseminating the messages to their respective churches and almost every household and communities at large.