Pastor Habyarimana Désiré, who conducts his ministry in ADEPR, stated that given the behavior of young people, it is time for religious institutions to promote the use of condoms, as youth engage in sexual activity even within churches and congregations.
Pastor Habyarimana made these comments during a discussion on the role of religious institutions in educating about reproductive health. This discussion, which united various religious organizations, took place in Kigali on March 14, 2025.
The preacher revealed that he recently conducted training for about 700 young people and was surprised to find that 80% of them admitted to having engaged in sexual activity, while others reported facing difficulties in their relationships.
He said, “Pastors will never know these things because when they come to church, sing, and dance, we assume we have a congregation, yet 80% of them have had sex and are struggling with issues they don’t even know how to address.”
Pastor Habyarimana emphasized that the high rate of sexual activity among youth puts them at significant risk of contracting various diseases and facing other consequences. He believes that religious institutions should promote condom use.
He stated, “Even though religious leaders do not typically discuss condoms, I believe young people should have the wisdom to use them because we do not offer salvation—we only teach. We should inform young people that by using condoms, at least their bodies will survive until they reach a point where they choose to repent from fornication, rather than dying. I may not agree with all religious leaders here, but that is my perspective.”
The preacher added that youth sexual activity is alarming, especially since the rate of new HIV infections remains high. He argued that religious institutions gain nothing from having followers infected with HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases when they could have been advised differently.
Statistics from the Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC) indicate that every year, about 3,200 people in Rwanda contract HIV, while approximately 2,600 die from it.
Among those infected, youth aged 15 to 29 are the most affected, with girls aged 10 to 24 being particularly vulnerable.
Additionally, many young people do not get tested to determine their HIV status. For instance, in the Northern Province alone, only about 30% of youth are aware of their HIV status.
