LoveLife and Independent Newspapers join South African fight against HIV/AIDS.

Despite the advances in treatment of HIV/AIDS and prevention efforts, sub-Saharan Africa is still overwhelmed and burdened by the epidemic. South Africa, in particular, has suffered. Consider these statistics:

* South Africa has the largest number of people living with HIV/AIDS in the world, officially estimated at 4.2 million

* One in four South African women 20 to 29 years of age is infected with HIV 

* Over 420,000 South African children are orphans as a result of AIDS

* In South Africa, AIDS is expected to shrink the national economy by as much as $22 billion by 2010

* Over 40 percent of South African teachers have died from HIV/AIDS

LOVELIFE PEER EDUCATION

LoveLife is a peer education program designed to substantially reduce the incidence of HIV, STDs, and unwanted pregnancy among 15- to 20-year-old South Africans through positive messages on sexual behavior through television, radio, publications, entertainment, and sports.

Launched only two years ago, LoveLife has quickly gained recognition as a new lifestyle motto for young South Africans. Already more than 70 percent can readily identify the LoveLife image and can accurately describe its purpose.

LoveLife employs a multimedia campaign to reach youth with HIV-preventation messages, combined with a nationwide drive to build prevention awareness. It accomplishes this by stimulating open and informed communication about sex, sexuality, and gender relations, as well as by developing adolescent sexual health services, outreach, and support programs.

FIVE-YEAR PARTNERSHIP WITH INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPERS

Independent Newspapers, South Africa's largest newspaper publishing company has joined LoveLife in a five-year partnership to help the group fight the nation's HIV/AIDS epidemic.

A biweekly newsletter targeted to youth titled Thetha Nathi (Speak to Us), is the centerpiece of the partnership. It will assist LoveLife in expanding its media reach and educational efforts.

In addition to Thetha Nathi, LoveLife's other major programs include S'camta (slang for "Talk about It"), a weekly television program. It encourages teens throughout the country to talk openly about sex and relationships, both with their peers and their parents. The program is part road movie, part documentary, and part music program, with hosts traveling throughout South Africa sharing stories about life, sex, and being young.

LoveLife also reaches youth through LoveLife radio, which partners with three commercial radio stations and six public services radio stations in South Africa. It has established youth-friendly health services in public clinics, a free sexual health help line, and sexual health education programs in the most remote parts of South Africa.

Resources from LoveLife include:

* The Impending Catastrophe, a resource book on the emerging HIV/AIDS epidemic in South Africa

* Loud and Clear, tips on talking to children about difficult things

* Talking and Listening, helping parents and teenagers work together

* Tell Me More!

* Xunhua News Agency

For the post-apartheid generation, which is exposed to the global economy and a pervasive media, LoveLife has become a national movement calling South African youth to both community and personal action.

A poignant comment by a teenager in a recent survey was: "When we drive past the billboards, we feel so proud because they give us a sense of belonging."

For more in formation: LoveLife, P. O. Box 45, Parklands 2121. Phone: [phone]. Fax: [phone]. Web site: http://www.LoveLife.org.za. E-mail: [e-mail]