National Initiative for Civic Education (Nice) Trust Ntcheu and Balaka district officer Henry Zechariah says traditional and religious leaders should take the lead in influencing mindset change among communities to fight the cholera outbreak.

He said this on Saturday at Ntcheu Boma during a meeting with traditional and religious leaders on mindset change.

Zecharia said some religious groups are discouraging members from accessing medical services, including cholera treatment.

He said: “We are popularising Malawi 2063, the country’s long-term development plan, with particular emphasis on the mindset change enabler with regards to the cholera outbreak.

Participants follow a presentation

“Some religious leaders are stopping their members from accessing chlorine dispensers as a cholera preventive measure, apart from the actual treatment.

“We want traditional and religious leaders to engage their people on mindset change regarding cholera which is claiming a lot of lives.”

Zekaria said the scriptures have illustrations where medicine was used to heal people and religious groups that are barring their faithful from accessing medical services were missing the point.

Ntcheu Civil Society Organisations Network member Temwanani Zimba said although it was a long-term process, there was need to intensify civic education on mindset change to make people accept that cholera is real and deadly.

He said: “Religious and community leaders are held in high esteem by the community; hence, the need to encourage them to go flat out sensitising people on the importance of mindset change as regards cholera.”

Group village head Ganda of Ntcheu acknowledged that  some religious groups are misleading their faithfuls on the truth about cholera.

He said: “I have already warned three churches in my area and sent packing one for misleading people on cholera and discouraging people from getting medication.

“These religious fanatics should be flushed out of society because they don’t understand the scriptures.”

Simpho Moto said he quit his religious group after he disagreed with its leaders on its teachings on taking medicine.

Nice Trust is popularising the Malawi 2063 with particular emphasis on mindset change enabler with funding from the Malawi Government.

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