Witegereza campaign: Give us moral-learning messages

Dear editor, I am an ardent follower of this programme and I must give credit where it is due. As of late messages pass on radio, TV and news paper to create awareness to the children about the Aids pandemic.

Friday, March 14, 2008

Dear editor,

I am an ardent follower of this programme and I must give credit where it is due. As of late messages pass on radio, TV and news paper to create awareness to the children about the Aids pandemic.

The most fresh and attractive method is the posters that are displayed along streets bearing faces and messages to young children. For sure this is a good initiative and it deserves applause.

Some of the messages written call upon the old to teach the young how say no to sex requests, how to say and respect the word no among others. But recently the trend has changed. All posters have changed faces and messages.

On them, it’s written; teach me how to use a condom. Pretty soon every child will indeed be asking to do just this!

For me the impression it gives is that we all seem to have accepted that sex is essential and have now shifted goal posts to emphasise condom use. No.

We must have the other original messages back on the bill boards, otherwise our children will get it all wrong and start demanding for condoms!

I guess counseling sessions by the older people is more like it. I know fighting Aids is a difficult thing to achieve 100 percent, but more moral-based messages will bail us out better than condom advocacy.

And please, we should not see those circumcision things on those adverts. Because I am sure that that is what is coming next!

Kigali