Choose Life: Five values

Every teacher that helped to develop Choose Life could name a roll-call of young people they know whose lives and families have been affected and, too often, devastated by HIV/AIDS.

The Choose Life curriculum teaches five values:

Love - and its application in relationship choices

Right - justice and integrity

Peace - conflict resolution, peace-making, and reconciliation

Freedom - from harmful spiritual powers and practices

Concern for others - living as a community

These values are key to responding to HIV/AIDS, because the apocalypse of HIV/AIDS is not an individual problem of sexual behaviour - and its effects are not confined to individuals either. Cruelly, it is robbing Africa's teenagers and children of some of the most important things that could turn the statistics around: community; family; a society that can care for its most needy; economic progress, and peace.