MORE than 200 religious leaders in Dar es Salaam have been trained on preventive measures against Ebola virus following the disease outbreak in neighboring Uganda.
The training which was conducted by Tanzania Interfaith Partnership (TIP) aimed at making the religious leaders aware of the disease and also encourage their followers to continue taking Covid-19 vaccine.
Speaking during the training, TIP Coordinator, Mr Azgard Stephen said that his organisation has been providing training to religious leaders in the country so that they can pass such knowledge to the community.
"As you are all aware that our neibouring Uganda has reported several cases of Ebola thus we are also required to take preventive measures against the diseases and this training is one of the efforts being undertaken to make sure that people are aware of the disease and the best ways to prevent it," said Mr Azgard.
According to Mr Azgard, the TIP has so far trained about 425 religious leaders from five regions in the country including Kagera, Geita, Mwanza, Mara and Kigoma.
"We believe that through religious leaders many people will be reached through their worshiping places," he said.
Apart from raising awareness about the Ebola outbreak, TIP has also been encouraging people to continue taking Covid- 19 vaccine, said Mr Azgard.
On his part, the Christian Council of Tanzania General Secretary Rev Canon Matonya said that religious leaders are capable of conveying such messages to a big number of their followers.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
He stressed the importance of unity among the clerics, especially in addressing various challenges facing the public such as disease outbreaks.
Rev Matonya thanked the government for working closely with religious leaders and engaging them in various activities.
Chairman of the Peace Committee in Ubungo District, Sheikh Maulid Salum, said that through the awareness seminar they will be in a better position to encourage the community to take preventive measures against Ebola.
He also assured TIP that they will be in the forefront in conveying the information in mosques, madrasas and various Islamic communities in the country.
"We are prepared to take this knowledge to our people in mosques, madrasas and various communities in the country in order to save the people from contracting the disease," said Sheikh Maulid.
