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Why the ABC Message Worked

This Rock Volume 19, Number 5   May-June 2008     Reasons for Hope By Cherie Peacock   Letters   Can You Trust Thomas Merton? By Anthony E. Clark   Recommended Merton Readings   Read with Caution   Christians in Islamic Lands: Part Two By Matthew E. Bunson   In His Own Words: The Holy Father and Islam   Unyielding Faith: The Martyrs of Uganda By Joanna Bogle   Two Churches, One Martyrdom   Uganda: The Real ABC’s of an Epidemic By Matthew E. Bunson   Why the ABC Message Worked   Is Everything in the Bible True? By Karlo Broussard   Firmly, Faithfully, and without Error   Genre and the Principle of Assertion   Further Reading   Damascus Road Confession Set Me Free By Emily Cerf   By the Book How Can Mary Be God’s Mother? By Tim Staples   Eyes to See Rational Monsters By Michael Schrauzer   Truth be Told Remember This about November Fifth By Robert P. Lockwood   Quick Questions   Last Writes By Karl Keating    Subscribe    Permissions

Looking back, I can say that the message of abstinence and faithfulness has been effective in Uganda for four main reasons. First of all, it is simple and uncompromisingly strong in its intention, and it is delivered continually and with consistency. Secondly, the alarm that was sounded by the political leadership has been taken up and magnified a thousand times by every responsible citizen. The third reason for the effectiveness of the message of abstinence and faithfulness is that it was based on the traditional and cultural beliefs and moral framework of the people of Uganda . . . The fourth reason why the message of abstinence and faithfulness has been effective in Uganda is that people have been confronted with the horror of death, first hand and at close quarters. There is no person, young and old, in Uganda, who has not witnessed a loved one, a family member, or a neighbor, suffer horribly and die prematurely because of AIDS. In such a situation, facts tend to speak for themselves. The sight of fallen comrades is a strong deterrent, and a clear sign that a change in behavior is called for . . .
—Lucy Kibaki, First Lady of Kenya, in 2004