UCE Decrease HIV/AIDS/STDs
Every individual who lives the UCE chastity commitment card, is one less person who contracts or spreads HIV/AIDS/STDs! Rooted in the original Uganda success, where HIV/AIDS in Uganda decreased from 21% in 1991 down to 5% in 2001 through chastity, UCE (founded in 2004) continues sharing “Abstinence, Be Faithful, through Christ” through its chastity education outreaches. UCE continues this remarkable success, including the stories shared below. Please support UCE in continuing to decrease HIV/AIDS/STDs
1) In early 2019, the Kasese, Uganda Diocesan Health office was asked to provide free, voluntary HIV/AIDS testing servicing within their area, one which has been well served by UCE outreaches. According to their report, they tested over 500 youth and none was HIV/AIDS positive! According to the UCE Kasese team, “To us this is very a great achievement an indicator that the UCE message entered their hearts and the youth are living their commitment.”
2) I really thank the UCE team for bringing us this message. Many of us have suffered due to ignorance. I was not aware that there are more than 23 sexually transmitted diseases. I was touched by the message and I will continue to abstain before my marriage. In fact, this is the message we are looking for as a youth…I’m now equipped to fight for my life. May God bless UCE. ~Jovitte, student who attended the UCE-BURUNDI outreach on 9/23/19 (accompanied picture).
3) According to UCE-Burundi Pioneer, Archbishop Martin Nyaboho, UCE is the Voice of HIV/AIDs in Burundi (one minute video)
4) “Heartfelt gratitude goes to your offices for the services you are rendering to our community, especially our school. First and foremost, we give glory to God for the service and allowing Universal Chastity Education in our school. As a school, we have achieved much from this program. Being located in a mountainous area, we have introduced this program in our community to sensitize about STDS. Students also are now aware that permissiveness is a major cause of school drop outs and early marriages. The UCE program has helped the school to be among the high performing schools…We hope for more support…” ~Bwambale Jockim Bukenya, Headteacher, Bishop Egidio Secondary School, Kasese, UGANDA
5) In December 2018, HIV/AIDS day was celebrated in UCE-Burundi. This is an opportunity for UCE team to sensitize and promote UCE teachings among different people and also to evaluate how HIV is reducing or being eraducated among the youth through voluntary testing. According to UCE-Burundi, “UCE came in to fight this disease and we thank God for the great work it has already done among population. We can now see from the results of the voluntary testing. From the 1,260 youths who were tested in Nyanza-lac County (who had received the UCE message a number of times in the past), none of them was found HIV/AIDS positive. From 2,658 youths who were tested in Rumonge county (where UCE was just beginning outreaches), 4 of them were already suffering with HIV/AIDS disease. We thank God for UCE’s contribution, because it is not in vain and our hope is that our goal will be reached looking at this impact.”
6) UCE programs decrease teen pregnancies which means that the youth have indeed kept their commitments to chastity. Those pledges to abstain from sex until marriage mean that they won’t get pregnant or get a sexually transmitted disease, most particularly HIV/AIDS. See dramatic teen pregnancy reduction statistics here .