Keep hope alive

 

Stay Alive Program Expanding in Tanzania

By Julie Walker, UFI's Director of Operations
October 31, 2007

As part of our plan to expand the Stay Alive HIV/AIDS prevention program in Tanzania, I, along with our Controller, Rochelle Witharana, recently traveled to Dar es Salaam. While there, we trained on project and business management and visited with community and religious leaders interested in implementing the Stay Alive program. Our hope is to reach 940,000 children in that country.

The Stay Alive program is based on the knowledge that the future of the HIV/AIDS epidemic lies in the hands of young people. As highlighted in a UNAIDS report, the behaviors youth adopt throughout their sexual lives will determine the course of the epidemic for decades. Stay Alive is a holistic, developmental approach to HIV/AIDS prevention education providing training in the biological, psychological and sociological factors contributing to HIV/AIDS infection.

UFI was thrilled to be joined by 20 members of Reach the Children-Kenya and Good Faith Tanzania, both African organizations who implement the Stay Alive program. Many shared personal stories that applied to the principles taught. For example, one community leader from Nairobi shared that his father was not faithful to his mother and contracted HIV/AIDS as a result. Although a young man at the time, this leader was able to teach his father the principle of consequential thinking and thinking of others that might get hurt by your actions. This among other teachings of a young man to his father have resulted in his father now calling his own son “father” for the wonderful influence he has been in his life.