Nairobi, Kenya, Dec 1, 2009 / 13:51 pm
Participants at the Fifth Pan-African Youth Alive Education for Life Conference have called for urgent programs which address behavior change to fight HIV and AIDS. Youth Alive founder Miriam Durgan stressed that each person has a “great responsibility” in the fight against AIDS.
The conference, which began on Nov. 30 and will run until Dec. 5, brings together participants from South Africa, Mauritius, Zambia, Uganda, Zimbabwe and Kenya under the co-sponsorship of the Youth Alive clubs and Education for Life in Africa.
According to Catholic Information Service Africa (CISA), the conference hopes to foster common goals, policies, standards and values which will bring young people together across different regions of Africa to work for AIDS prevention.
Sr. Felicia Matola, Director of Education for Life said, “We are responsible for our own lives and the lives of those youth and adults we are privileged to serve to uphold the values that we preach to others.” She also spoke of the huge responsibility those who are infected with AIDS have to avoid infecting others.