Keep hope alive

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 13, 2003

United Families hosting international conference on orphans

MESA, Arizona -- The AIDS epidemic has not only taken 20 million lives worldwide, but has also left 12 million children orphans. United Families International (UFI) is taking a lead role in addressing this tragedy by developing a sustainable family-based care model for orphans. UFI will host the first International Conference on Orphans Sept. 18-19 in Nairobi, Kenya.

Sharon Slater, president of United Families International, said, "UFI is providing practical solutions to the orphan crisis by training government leaders and orphan care workers to provide for orphans in their own communities. By providing systems to monitor orphan children and child care, abuses can be prevented."

The African continent has been particularly hard-hit by AIDS. In some African nations, 25 percent of the population is dying of AIDS. United Families International has also introduced the Stay Alive program, which addresses the root of the AIDS problem by teaching students to make live-saving choices, practice abstinence before marriage, and maintain fidelity in marriage.

Among those attending the International Conference on Orphans will be government leaders, orphan care workers and experts on issues affecting orphan children.

United Families International seeks to educate government, community and religious leaders and citizens at grassroots levels on issues affecting the family and promotes public policies and programs that preserve the traditional family.

"As we strive to promote policies that support the family," Slater said, "we realize the necessity of humanitarian efforts that address the immediate and basic needs of individuals and families, thus narrowing the divide between theory and practice."

For more information on the International Conference on Orphans, call (480) 632-5450 or consult the UFI website: http://www.unitedfamilies.org.