What We Do
Chastity Outreaches
Our chastity teams hold outreach events at schools, villages, churches, and other places— for anywhere from a few hundred to several thousand young people at a time. When we hold an event, we go with the idea if you had 2-3 hours with a young person, and you knew that all the time before and after you spoke with them, they would be surrounded by the world, what message would you bring? We bring a message of hope, forgiveness, second chances, purity, and God’s plan for our lives regarding our sexuality.
Our teams are primarily made up of young volunteers who share their testimonies, why they chose chastity, and speak to youth about a number of topics including:
- Spiritual, Emotional, and Physical Consequences of Premarital Sex
- The Dangers of Condoms and Contraception
- The Beauty of Sex and God’s Plan for Sexuality (Theology of the Body)
- Is Chastity Realistic?
- Is it Already too Late? Secondary Virginity
- True Love vs. Infatuation/Lust
- How to Choose and Maintain Purity/Chastity
- Common Challenges: Pornography, Goal Setting, Positive Peer relationships, Drug/Alcohol Abuse, etc.
We answer anonymous questions, and gives youth the opportunity to commit to chastity by signing a chastity pledge. We then addresses next steps, such as drug and alcohol abuse, peer pressure, pornography, and others. We follow up with youth to sustain the message and keep them strong in their chastity commitments by: forming UCE Chastity Clubs, giving conferences, holding radio talk shows, and distributing UCE Chastity Manuals and books free of charge. It costs the team approximately $250 dollars to hold one chastity outreach.
UCE Chastity Clubs
The purpose of UCE Chastity Clubs is to help young people maintain their chastity commitment while preparing them for the challenges of life, and college. In a chastity club, the team provides counseling, psychological, spiritual, and moral support. They also work to build students’ self-esteem, life skills, and create a healthy, positive after-school environment for the students. UCE establishes chastity clubs at schools whenever possible.
UCE Chastity Sports Clubs
These are second level UCE Chastity Clubs. These clubs build upon the UCE Chastity Club by creating a number of healthy outlets for students. As funds become available, clubs who have proven to be very active can obtain this ‘next level’. The Chastity Sports Clubs create an environment where students who have committed their lives to chastity and Christ can come together in a healthy, safe, setting and be encouraged by one another. In addition to sports for both boys and girls, the clubs have, drama, debate, dance, crafts, and chastity and faith lessons. The clubs build self-esteem, life skills, teamwork, discipline, character, and help the youth develop healthy relationships. There are currently a total of 15 clubs in Kasese, Uganda. Each club costs $750. The team reports that each time they make a follow up with a club they find new students who have committed to chastity and joined the club after hearing the message from their peers!
Seminars and Conferences
We holds seminars specifically for those who have signed chastity commitment cards. They are multi-school events where the youth gather to be strengthened in the choice they have made. The purpose of this phase is to continue to share more in-depth information on how students can protect themselves, build their life skills, train peer educators, and give them tools to succeed.
Chastity Sunday
Chastity Sunday began in Uganda on October 7th, 2012. The Uganda Joint Christian Council (UJCC) accepted a UCE proposal for an annual Sunday when clergy throughout Uganda would speak from the pulpit on chastity. The first year, an estimated 7 million Ugandans heard the chastity message from their priests and pastors. UCE provides the readings, homily notes, flyers, and mobilizes priests and pastors to speak on chastity across the country. UCE now encourages and holds Chastity Sunday in each country we work in.
Radio
The UCE team takes to the radio waves to talk about chastity, encourage youth, and talk about God’s plan for our lives at least once a month. UCE Club members often join the team on the radio, by performing: poems, songs, and skits they have composed about chastity. Around 3 million people hear the UCE message on the radio each year.
UCE Manual and Books
The UCE Manual is a compilation of responses to questions asked by youth during 10 years of UCE outreaches. Thousandss of copies have been distributed to schools and chastity clubs free of charge. The manuals provide encouragement, factual documented medical information, and advice on sexuality and living a Christian life. The UCE manual answers the most commonly asked questions we receive on outreach. The manual addresses issues such as: chastity, virginity, teenage pregnancy, HIV/AIDS, masturbation, rape, STDs, female and male reproductive health, pornography, relationships and marriage, faith, personal growth, and education. It also gives youth a guide to initiating a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. We have received feedback from the students and clubs that they love it, and that it is the most read book in their school library.
Through UCE books, written by Isaac Lema, the UCE message continues to reach many people in Tanzania. Isaac has authored 2 books on chastity. The team has heard many testimonies from people who find them useful in various parts of their lives. UCE books are also being used by other organizations throughout the country.
“My name is Erica. I like reading books and among the books that you (UCE) have given me, I have learned a lot of things and increased my confidence as a girl. I know that only a few girls have received this kind of message and that I am among them. Many girls wished to get an opportunity to learn this, but unfortunately some of them have died without receiving it. Thank you God for this another opportunity to know about myself as a girl. I got a lot of benefits after reading UCE books, I cannot explain all of them, but two are self-discovery and self-control. I learned how precious I am, and how I was created to live a chaste life. Through chastity my value will increase day by day as a girl. Thank you very much and may God grant a blessing to all who participated in the development of the UCE manuals.”
Chastity Outreaches to Married Couples (fidelity)
These outreaches are conducted in the same way as traditional UCE chastity outreaches to youth, but they target couples. They encourage couples to live faithfully to one another, and address a number of common marital issues.
” (Name witheld, Burundi) The team reported, “Upon hearing of her husband’s change of heart, his wife began to cry, then they both rejoiced and embraced with tears streaming down their cheeks.”
“I’ve lived a miserable life with my husband since 2004 until I had planned to commit suicide. My aunt Sofia, who had attended a couple’s UCE seminar, arranged my attendance to one of the seminars. My husband agreed to join too. After the seminar, things have changed in many ways: we have together taken a voluntary HIV/AIDS test, we’ve signed the Be Faithful cards we’ve legalized our wedding in the Church, and we’ve committed our lives to Jesus Christ. Since 2010 we are living a happy and well organized life.” – Mr. and Mrs. Ntandikiye
Outreaches to Out-of-School Youth and Unreached Peoples
The teams travel anywhere to give the chastity message. They often bring the message of Christ and chastity to those who are often forgotten, marginalized, and unreached. The team uses chastity as a way to evangelize, and share the Gospel message. At these outreaches, people will come to know Christ, as well as choose to abstain until a faithful marriage (or when they reached married persons, they choose chastity, fidelity in marriage).
“I started being a prostitute in 2007 when I was still 18 years old. I left school in village and came down to hire a room here in Myugo near Lake Tanganyika where I could have enough clients from the fishermen. It happened that I attended a UCE open air meeting two years ago I think. I laughed at those who signed the commitment cards. But later on, I decided to sign it also. I joined the church. Now I am married legally and God has blessed us with 2 children. I thank UCE for the role played to change my life for better.” – (Name withheld, Burundi)
“We found that girls in Katwe were selling their bodies for sex, even at a young age. The only main sources of income in the region are salt mining and fishing. These activities are mainly done by men. The girls can only find means of work if they are educated. We reached out to Katwe with an open air meeting. We gave the message of chastity, and the people seemed to not understand us, and we ourselves doubted that they could hear the message. But God made His miracle. They listened, and by the end of the program most youth had committed to chastity. We were able to encourage others to re-enroll in school, and we formed a UCE Chastity Club to support them.” – Fr. Peter Masereka Kunama, UCE Programs Officer, Kasese, Uganda