OUR MINISTRY
Chastity Outreaches
Our
chastity teams hold outreach events at schools, villages, churches, and
other places— for anywhere from a few hundred to several thousand young
people at a time. When we hold an event, we go with the idea if you had
2-3 hours with a young person, and you knew that all the time before
and after you spoke with them, they would be surrounded by the world,
what message would you bring? We bring a message of hope, forgiveness,
second chances, purity, and God’s plan for our lives regarding our
sexuality.
Our teams are primarily made up of young volunteers who share their testimonies, why they chose chastity, and speak to youth about a number of topics including:
“I
have dedicated myself to supporting UCE because just like the Church,
UCE views youth quite differently. It sees them as human beings created
in the image of God who are more than capable of the true love
that abstinence and fidelity requires.”
– Emanuel Cardinal Wamala
UCE Chastity Clubs
The purpose of UCE Chastity Clubs is to help young people maintain their chastity commitment while preparing them for the challenges of life, and college. In a chastity club, the team provides counseling, psychological, spiritual, and moral support. They also work to build students’ self-esteem, life skills, and create a healthy, positive after-school environment for the students. UCE establishes chastity clubs at schools whenever possible.
UCE Chastity Sports Clubs
These are second level UCE Chastity Clubs. These clubs build upon the UCE Chastity Club by creating a number of healthy outlets for students. As funds become available, clubs who have proven to be very active can obtain this ‘next level’. The Chastity Sports Clubs create an environment where students who have committed their lives to chastity and Christ can come together in a healthy, safe, setting and be encouraged by one another. In addition to sports for both boys and girls, the clubs have, drama, debate, dance, crafts, and chastity and faith lessons. The clubs build self-esteem, life skills, teamwork, discipline, character, and help the youth develop healthy relationships. There are currently a total of 15 clubs in Kasese, Uganda. Each club costs $750. The team reports that each time they make a follow up with a club they find new students who have committed to chastity and joined the club after hearing the message from their peers!
We holds
seminars specifically for those who have signed chastity commitment
cards. They are multi-school events where the youth gather to be
strengthened in the choice they have made. The purpose of this phase is
to continue to share more in-depth information on how students can
protect themselves, build their life skills, train peer educators, and
give them tools to succeed.
Chastity Sunday
Chastity Sunday began in Uganda on October 7th, 2012. The Uganda Joint Christian Council (UJCC) accepted a UCE proposal for an annual Sunday when clergy throughout Uganda would speak from the pulpit on chastity. The first year, an estimated 7 million Ugandans heard the chastity message from their priests and pastors. UCE provides the readings, homily notes, flyers, and mobilizes priests and pastors to speak on chastity across the country. UCE now encourages and holds Chastity Sunday in each country we work in.
Radio
The
UCE team takes to the radio waves to talk about chastity, encourage
youth, and talk about God’s plan for our lives at least once a month.
UCE Club members often join the team on the radio, by performing: poems,
songs, and skits they have composed about chastity. Around 3 million
people hear the UCE message on the radio each year.
The UCE Manual is a compilation of responses to questions asked by youth during 10 years of UCE outreaches. Thousandss of copies have been distributed to schools and chastity clubs free of charge. The manuals provide encouragement, factual documented medical information, and advice on sexuality and living a Christian life. The UCE manual answers the most commonly asked questions we receive on outreach. The manual addresses issues such as: chastity, virginity, teenage pregnancy, HIV/AIDS, masturbation, rape, STDs, female and male reproductive health, pornography, relationships and marriage, faith, personal growth, and education. It also gives youth a guide to initiating a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. We have received feedback from the students and clubs that they love it, and that it is the most read book in their school library.
Through
UCE books, written by Isaac Lema, the UCE message continues to
reach many people in Tanzania. Isaac has authored 2 books on chastity.
The team has heard many testimonies from people who find them useful in
various parts of their lives. UCE books are also being used by other
organizations throughout the country.
“My name is Erica. I like reading books and among the books that you (UCE) have given me, I have learned a lot of things and increased my confidence as a girl. I know that only a few girls have received this kind of message and that I am among them. Many girls wished to get an opportunity to learn this, but unfortunately some of them have died without receiving it. Thank you God for this another opportunity to know about myself as a girl. I got a lot of benefits after reading UCE books, I cannot explain all of them, but two are self-discovery and self-control. I learned how precious I am, and how I was created to live a chaste life. Through chastity my value will increase day by day as a girl. Thank you very much and may God grant a blessing to all who participated in the development of the UCE manuals.”
Chastity Outreaches to Married Couples (fidelity)
These
outreaches are conducted in the same way as traditional UCE chastity
outreaches to youth, but they target couples. They encourage couples to
live faithfully to one another, and address a number of common marital
issues.
“I’m living a married life based on the old socio – cultural practices, believing that a woman has to do all the family duties such as cultivating the plot, preparing food, bearing children etc. My main daily business as a respectful husband was to spend money and waste my time with other friends until late evening to claim food and sexual intercourse from my tired wife who has been working all the day long. My attendance at this UCE seminar gives me a remedy to my family life. I swear that from today onward I will be helping my wife and will treat her with dignity promising that I will live a faithful married life with her.” (Name witheld, Burundi) The team reported, “Upon hearing of her husband’s change of heart, his wife began to cry, then they both rejoiced and embraced with tears streaming down their cheeks.”
Outreaches to Out-of-School Youth and Unreached Peoples
The teams travel anywhere to give the chastity message. They often bring the message of Christ and chastity to those who are often forgotten, marginalized, and unreached. The team uses chastity as a way to evangelize, and share the Gospel message. At these outreaches, people will come to know Christ, as well as choose to abstain until a faithful marriage (or when they reached married persons, they choose chastity, fidelity in marriage).
Chastity Outreaches
Our
chastity teams hold outreach events at schools, villages, churches, and
other places— for anywhere from a few hundred to several thousand young
people at a time. When we hold an event, we go with the idea if you had
2-3 hours with a young person, and you knew that all the time before
and after you spoke with them, they would be surrounded by the world,
what message would you bring? We bring a message of hope, forgiveness,
second chances, purity, and God’s plan for our lives regarding our
sexuality.Our teams are primarily made up of young volunteers who share their testimonies, why they chose chastity, and speak to youth about a number of topics including:
- Spiritual, Emotional, and Physical Consequences of Premarital Sex
- The Dangers of Condoms and Contraception
- The Beauty of Sex and God’s Plan for Sexuality (Theology of the Body)
- Is Chastity Realistic?
- Is it Already too Late? Secondary Virginity
- True Love vs. Infatuation/Lust
- How to Choose and Maintain Purity/Chastity
- Common Challenges: Pornography, Goal Setting, Positive Peer relationships, Drug/Alcohol Abuse, etc.
“I
have dedicated myself to supporting UCE because just like the Church,
UCE views youth quite differently. It sees them as human beings created
in the image of God who are more than capable of the true love
that abstinence and fidelity requires.”
– Emanuel Cardinal Wamala
UCE Chastity Club members perform a skit for their peers
The purpose of UCE Chastity Clubs is to help young people maintain their chastity commitment while preparing them for the challenges of life, and college. In a chastity club, the team provides counseling, psychological, spiritual, and moral support. They also work to build students’ self-esteem, life skills, and create a healthy, positive after-school environment for the students. UCE establishes chastity clubs at schools whenever possible.
UCE Chastity Sports Clubs
These are second level UCE Chastity Clubs. These clubs build upon the UCE Chastity Club by creating a number of healthy outlets for students. As funds become available, clubs who have proven to be very active can obtain this ‘next level’. The Chastity Sports Clubs create an environment where students who have committed their lives to chastity and Christ can come together in a healthy, safe, setting and be encouraged by one another. In addition to sports for both boys and girls, the clubs have, drama, debate, dance, crafts, and chastity and faith lessons. The clubs build self-esteem, life skills, teamwork, discipline, character, and help the youth develop healthy relationships. There are currently a total of 15 clubs in Kasese, Uganda. Each club costs $750. The team reports that each time they make a follow up with a club they find new students who have committed to chastity and joined the club after hearing the message from their peers!
“Today we were at the UCE Club weekly
meeting with more than 800 students in attendance. The program was
wonderful and a great success. The student participants were
unbelievably creative and overflowing with talent as they communicated
the reasons to abstain from sex before marriage with skits, music,
dance, and poetry presentations. We prayed together and everyone left
the place powered up.”
– Isabirye, teacher at Iganga
High School, Uganda
Seminars and Conferences
We holds
seminars specifically for those who have signed chastity commitment
cards. They are multi-school events where the youth gather to be
strengthened in the choice they have made. The purpose of this phase is
to continue to share more in-depth information on how students can
protect themselves, build their life skills, train peer educators, and
give them tools to succeed.Chastity Sunday
Chastity Sunday began in Uganda on October 7th, 2012. The Uganda Joint Christian Council (UJCC) accepted a UCE proposal for an annual Sunday when clergy throughout Uganda would speak from the pulpit on chastity. The first year, an estimated 7 million Ugandans heard the chastity message from their priests and pastors. UCE provides the readings, homily notes, flyers, and mobilizes priests and pastors to speak on chastity across the country. UCE now encourages and holds Chastity Sunday in each country we work in.
Radio
The
UCE team takes to the radio waves to talk about chastity, encourage
youth, and talk about God’s plan for our lives at least once a month.
UCE Club members often join the team on the radio, by performing: poems,
songs, and skits they have composed about chastity. Around 3 million
people hear the UCE message on the radio each year.
“Radio Star FM broadcasts twice a week the
UCE messages which have transformed my way of living though I have not
met yet the UCE team. I will keep praying God to send them to our remote
school.”
–
Timothy Iradukunda
UCE Manual and BooksThe UCE Manual is a compilation of responses to questions asked by youth during 10 years of UCE outreaches. Thousandss of copies have been distributed to schools and chastity clubs free of charge. The manuals provide encouragement, factual documented medical information, and advice on sexuality and living a Christian life. The UCE manual answers the most commonly asked questions we receive on outreach. The manual addresses issues such as: chastity, virginity, teenage pregnancy, HIV/AIDS, masturbation, rape, STDs, female and male reproductive health, pornography, relationships and marriage, faith, personal growth, and education. It also gives youth a guide to initiating a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. We have received feedback from the students and clubs that they love it, and that it is the most read book in their school library.
Through
UCE books, written by Isaac Lema, the UCE message continues to
reach many people in Tanzania. Isaac has authored 2 books on chastity.
The team has heard many testimonies from people who find them useful in
various parts of their lives. UCE books are also being used by other
organizations throughout the country.“My name is Erica. I like reading books and among the books that you (UCE) have given me, I have learned a lot of things and increased my confidence as a girl. I know that only a few girls have received this kind of message and that I am among them. Many girls wished to get an opportunity to learn this, but unfortunately some of them have died without receiving it. Thank you God for this another opportunity to know about myself as a girl. I got a lot of benefits after reading UCE books, I cannot explain all of them, but two are self-discovery and self-control. I learned how precious I am, and how I was created to live a chaste life. Through chastity my value will increase day by day as a girl. Thank you very much and may God grant a blessing to all who participated in the development of the UCE manuals.”
Chastity Outreaches to Married Couples (fidelity)
These
outreaches are conducted in the same way as traditional UCE chastity
outreaches to youth, but they target couples. They encourage couples to
live faithfully to one another, and address a number of common marital
issues.“I’m living a married life based on the old socio – cultural practices, believing that a woman has to do all the family duties such as cultivating the plot, preparing food, bearing children etc. My main daily business as a respectful husband was to spend money and waste my time with other friends until late evening to claim food and sexual intercourse from my tired wife who has been working all the day long. My attendance at this UCE seminar gives me a remedy to my family life. I swear that from today onward I will be helping my wife and will treat her with dignity promising that I will live a faithful married life with her.” (Name witheld, Burundi) The team reported, “Upon hearing of her husband’s change of heart, his wife began to cry, then they both rejoiced and embraced with tears streaming down their cheeks.”
“I’ve lived a miserable life with my
husband since 2004 until I had planned to commit suicide. My aunt Sofia,
who had attended a couple’s UCE seminar, arranged my attendance to one
of the seminars. My husband agreed to join too. After the seminar,
things have changed in many ways: we have together taken a voluntary
HIV/AIDS test, we’ve signed the Be Faithful cards we’ve legalized our
wedding in the Church, and we’ve committed our lives to Jesus Christ.
Since 2010 we are living a happy and well organized life.”
– Mr. and Mrs. Ntandikiye
The team prepares to leave a mountain school. The only way to reach some places in by using ‘boda-boda’ motorcycles.
The teams travel anywhere to give the chastity message. They often bring the message of Christ and chastity to those who are often forgotten, marginalized, and unreached. The team uses chastity as a way to evangelize, and share the Gospel message. At these outreaches, people will come to know Christ, as well as choose to abstain until a faithful marriage (or when they reached married persons, they choose chastity, fidelity in marriage).
Chastity outreach deep in the Rwenzori mountains
“I started being a prostitute in 2007 when I
was still 18 years old. I left school in village and came down to hire a
room here in Myugo near Lake Tanganyika where I could have enough
clients from the fishermen. It happened that I attended a UCE open air
meeting two years ago I think. I laughed at those who signed the
commitment cards. But later on, I decided to sign it also. I joined the
church. Now I am married legally and God has blessed us with 2 children.
I thank UCE for the role played to change my life for better.”
– (Name withheld, Burundi)
“We found that girls in Katwe were selling
their bodies for sex, even at a young age. The only main sources of
income in the region are salt mining and fishing. These activities are
mainly done by men. The girls can only find means of work if they are
educated. We reached out to Katwe with an open air meeting. We gave the
message of chastity, and the people seemed to not understand us, and we
ourselves doubted that they could hear the message. But God made His
miracle. They listened, and by the end of the program most youth had
committed to chastity. We were able to encourage others to re-enroll in
school, and we formed a UCE Chastity Club to support them.”
– Fr. Peter Masereka Kunama, UCE Programs Officer,
Kasese, Uganda
