Local Non Government Organisations (NGOs) involved in HIV/Aids related projects have urged leaders to assist in stepping up campaigns against the spread of the disease by encouraging more openness between patients and caretakers.

The Chairman of Rwanda NGOs’ Forum on HIV/Aids, Aimable Mwananawe, said that educating the society on the dangers and ways through which the virus is acquired would minimise the spread of the disease. "Prevention is better than cure.

When you keep treating people without putting preventive measures in place, you are not getting to the root cause of the problem,” Mwananawe told journalists on Friday during a meeting at Gorilla Hotel to evaluate the Forum’s 2007 achievements.

He said that there is need to supplement government efforts against the disease by counselling victims and putting in place measures against those that discriminate them.
"Decision-makers and religious leaders should speak out against stigmatisation.

This will promote open up and free dialogue in identifying remedies,” Mwananawe said.
His remarks come after a recent call by a humanitarian aid organisation (Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) to increase psycho-social support by encouraging openness between children and parents on the realities of HIV/Aids.

MSF ceased its operation in Rwanda by handing over a 3.2million euro (approx Frw2.3 billion) HIV/Aids project to government.  The project provides medical care to people living with HIV in Kinyinya and Kimironko Health Centres, Gasabo District in Kigali City.
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