5,000 HIV Cases In Jayapura, Regent Yunus Wonda Asks The Church To No Longer Walk Alone

JAYAPURA - Jayapura Regent, Papua, Yunus Wonda invites all churches that are members of the Jayapura Churches Association (PGGJ) to put aside sectoral egos and unite to face serious threats of increasing HIV/AIDS cases in the area.

In the PGGJ I Working Meeting in Sentani, today, Yunus highlighted that currently there are almost 5,000 HIV/AIDS cases recorded in Jayapura Regency. This figure, he said, mostly attacks the younger generation of productive age.

"If you multiply it by two of the recorded numbers, there are about 10,000 of our young people who are threatened with their future. This includes church youths," Yunus said as quoted by Antara, Friday, July 6.

According to him, the church has a moral and spiritual central role in keeping the younger generation from falling into risky behavior that triggers the spread of HIV/AIDS.

"The church cannot only talk in the pulpit, but must be present in the midst of real problems. We can no longer go our separate ways. We must eliminate sectoral egos," he said.

Yunus emphasized the importance of close collaboration between governments and religious institutions as part of a strategy to build a strong and inclusive Jayapura society.

"If the church is strong, the government is also strong. We will definitely support church programs, including the PGGJ office construction plan," he said.

The chairman of PGGJ Jayapura Regency, Ishak Hikoyabi, welcomed the invitation to the synergy. According to him, the PGGJ I Working Meeting is an important momentum to unite the steps of the 48 church denominations who are members of the forum.

"PGGJ's vision and mission is in line with the local government. All programs in the future will be synergized to answer the needs of the congregation and the community through concrete actions," he said.