The Reach4Life vision

Consider for a moment, as you read yet another blog, where you're sitting. Not just your country, city or room, although these things are vaguely important, but what place in history are you sitting in?

The reason I raise this is not just to be philosophical. I firmly and honestly believe we are in a time in history where we are able to stake a claim to something. Globalisation and a technological boom have made a very large world seem very small. global problems sit firmly on everyone's doorstep, and those problems are for people to either respond to or ignore. In your context, sitting where you are in the time you're in, are you going to choose to be ignorant to the issue, or will you choose to do something? When you shuffle off this mortal coil, what will your fleeting life have amounted to?

Reach4Life was born from a vision to take a really shocking situation and turn it around. With a thousand people dying of HIV/AIDS in South Africa EVERY DAY, we are in crisis mode. Statistics are feeble at conveying the situation adequately these days. The truth is that parents, children, workers and friends are being slaughtered by the virus faster than graves can be dug. Let that sink in before you continue reading, please.

Reach4Life is a year long program that aims to build positive sexual values. AIDS isn't playing games with young people, and we need to get serious about it today. Honestly, we are already behind. The proverbial horse has bolted and we are fighting furiously to catch up.Fighting who?

Everything!

Magazines, television, music... do i even need to go through this routine with you? Everywhere you look you see the message the world is sending out. "MORE! NOW! TAKE! WHO CARES! ME! ME! ME!"

FACT: HIV is a virus.
FICTION: HIV has a medical solution.

With no cure developed and the medical world at a complete loss on the issue, where do you turn. HIV is not a medical problem, it is a social one. Sex, a very popular and extremely well marketed activity, is the PRIMARY mode of infection. It is a behavior that is transmitting the disease, and it is this behavior that needs to be addressed. Thats what Reach4Life does.

We go into a school, filled with kids who are making bad decisions each day, and give them another choice. The Reach4Life book is the tool that aids our group leaders to empower young people to see another road, one that gives them a shot at life, a chance to succeed.

There are so many obstacles to getting this message to sink in and take hold, and we will chat about those another time. For now i just wanted to share where we are and give you a taste of the passion and urgency in which Reach4Life operates. Use it, don't use it. "The choise is yours"