Safe Blood for Africa Foundation's African Club 25 Greatly Reducing HIV Infections in Afr...( WASHINGTON Sept. 24 -- The Afric...),Health

WASHINGTON, Sept. 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The African Club 25 Society, a Safe Blood for Africa Foundation subsidiary, is proud to announce it has dramatically reduced the incidence of HIV infections among its members. This organization of 62,000 members in 15 sub-Saharan African countries is made up of young people between 15-24 years old. These clubs are established, whenever possible, in collaboration with existing youth programs sponsored by schools, faith-based organizations and other groups. When no such program exists, African Club 25, in cooperation with the country's Ministry of Health and local officials, launches its own program aimed at reducing the spread of HIV/AIDS in this age group and increasing the safe blood supply.

African Club 25 organizations are groups which a young person may join and pledge to live a healthy lifestyle to avoid contracting HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases. These young people learn life and job skills, receive counseling and prevention information and provide voluntary, non-remunerated blood donations. These skills and counseling, as well as the importance of belonging to a group with a focus on staying healthy, all contribute to the rate of African Club 25 member infections being lower than two percent. Their non-Club 25 counterparts' infection rates are often higher than 10%. In many countries, the HIV infection rates of Club 25 members is 500% lower than that of their non-Club 25 counterparts.

The African Club 25 Society, sponsored by the Safe Blood for Africa Foundation, has pledged to expand membership throughout Africa to one million young people.

Jeffrey Busch, founder and Chairman of Safe Blood for Africa Foundation, said, "With one million African Club 25 members we can reduce the incidence of HIV infections among youth and ensure a safe blood supply for Africa's current and future population."

Diane de Coning, Director of the African Club 25 program, said, "The outpouring of
'/>"/>