The APPLE project was set up to help highlight the problem of AIDS in the country of Zambia. APPLE is an abbreviation for AIDS Prevention Plus Life Education.

The programme aims to enable young people to make sound choices from a biblical worldview, in the context of today’s social pressures.

The magnitude of the problem of HIV/AIDS in Zambia is overwhelming. It was estimated (by UNAIDS and WHO) that in 1998 seven out of 10 people newly infected with HIV in the world lived in sub-Saharan Africa. Among children under 15, the proportion is nine out of 10.

The project’s main objectives:

• To provide HIV/AIDS/STDs prevention education,
  by promoting sound moral values and healthy
  attitudes about sex and sexuality, among the
  youth in 250 schools (around 75,000 boys and
  girls).
• To educate the youth about the importance of
  family planning, to increase the age of first
  marriage and reduce incidences of early pregnancies.
• To train at least 250 teachers, one from each
  school, about how to conduct the APPLE project as a
  forum for positive pressure for youth in the
  schools.

The APPLE project provides an opportunity for the Zambian Church to respond compassionately to an unprecedented crisis within Zambian society.

The project, as conceived, promotes the development of interdenominational partnerships. Finally, the project will present the gospel to children and young people in a meaningful and critical context.

By targeting school pupils, it is possible to help young people realize that they have the opportunity to rebuild relationships in family life in a creative way that will be a great source of strength to their nations.

Donations can be made to SIM-UK, designated for APPLE Project ZM 94248. You can donate online