Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2003. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
PRNewswire - December 15, 2003
Population Services International (PSI), which has been working with religious organizations for years, delivers health products, services and information that enable vulnerable people to lead healthier lives. PSI uses social marketing to promote behavior change in maternal and child health, family planning and HIV/AIDS in 70 countries.
The initiative was kicked off at the All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC) 8th General Assembly in Yaounde, Cameroon on Nov. 26. Eight hundred Protestant church leaders from 40 countries, whose congregations total over 100 million people, attended the weeklong event in which the AACC agreed to partner with PSI to curb the spread of HIV. PSI held workshops with youth and women church leaders to strengthen their roles in curbing HIV/AIDS.
Michael Magan, director of Faith-Based Initiative at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), was present at the launch and encouraged African church leaders to collaborate with PSI. He acknowledged the significant role that FBOs play in delivering health care in Africa and pledged to ensure that FBOs have access to funding opportunities from the U.S. government.
The new initiative will combine PSI's three decades of experience using social marketing to motivate behavior change with the FBOs' local knowledge and ability to influence people with HIV/AIDS messages. Religious leaders play a powerful role in shaping the attitudes and behaviors of their believers. PSI will work with FBOs so they are better able to educate their followers on HIV/AIDS prevention, correct misconceptions and fight stigma.
The Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians also agreed to join PSI to combat "cross-generational sex" -- the practice of older men engaging girls and young women in risky sexual behavior in exchange for gifts or financial support which puts young women at increased risk for contracting HIV.
PSI has a history of enlisting the help of religious figures in the fight against AIDS, including Muslim imams, Buddhist monks and Christian leaders such as Nobel Peace Prize recipient Desmond Tutu.
The FBO initiative will be launched with other faiths at other locations in 2004. For more information on PSI, see its website at http://www.psi.org.
SOURCE Population Services International
Web Site: http://www.psi.org
031215
PR031232
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