Keep hope alive

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 21, 2003

United Families International gains support for "Stay Alive" program

MESA, Arizona - A U.S. House of Representatives bill recommending support of the Stay Alive program has passed out of committee and is now being considered by the full membership of the House. Stay Alive is an abstinence education program developed by United Families International (UFI). Sixteen congressmen have lent their support to Stay Alive, which is already active in several African nations.

The Stay Alive program offers a unique approach to HIV/AIDS prevention education, empowering children who are not yet sexually active by teaching critical thinking skills which will help them remain disease free. The eight-week Stay Alive course includes discussions between parents, or guardians, and their children.

Sharon Slater, president of UFI, said, "This program brings hope to children who have witnessed the devastation of the AIDS pandemic and teaches them how to avoid the mistakes of the previous generation by instilling in them a desire to make decisions that will enable them to live long, loving, lives."

Operating for almost two years in Africa, the Stay Alive program has been successfully field tested in Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, Ghana and Mozambique. In response to numerous requests by government, community and religious leaders to expand the Stay Alive program in Africa, UFI plans to offer the program to an additional one million children.

Administrators in African schools where the program has been implemented have commended the Stay Alive program for its success rate in teaching children how to make good personal choices. David Ndetu of the Kathiiani Primary School in Ngawata, Kenya, said, "This is an important program for our youth, more so to school pupils as it will help them make good choices that lead the way to happiness. I would ask for the program to be carried out fully and find ways of sustaining it in schools."

UFI President Slater said, "The Stay Alive program teaches AIDS-resistant behavior to children before they become sexually active. The window of opportunity to most effectively teach children these principles exists between the ages of 8 and 12, because children in this age group rarely become infected with AIDS. The rate of infection jumps sharply in the 12-14 age range and continues to be high through age 24. If taught the concept of abstinence early enough, children can make the choices that may literally save their lives. The program addresses older students as well."

Congressmen supporting Stay Alive include: U.S. Senators Orrin Hatch (R.-Utah), Bob Bennett (R.-Utah) and Jon Kyl (R.-AZ); and Representatives Jim Gibbons (R.-Nev.), John Doolittle (R.-CA), Rick Renzi (R.-AZ), Chris Cannon (R.-Utah), Jack Quinn (R.-NY), Marilyn Musgrave (R.-CO), Joseph Pitts (R.-PA), Robert Aderholt (R.-AL), Todd Akin (R.-MO), Chris Smith (R.-NJ), Randy Forbes (R.-VA), Rob Bishop (R.-Utah), and Ginny Brown-Waite (R.-FL).

For additional information, call (480) 632-5450