KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Children International's Youth Health Corps celebrates World Health Day by changing lives around the world at record rates!

According to the 2008 program report, 1,735 teens in 11 countries around the world completed training in order to teach their peers about reproductive health, HIV/AIDS and substance abuse prevention - the largest number of recruits in a single year. Called Peer Educators, these teens all report to have changed their own health habits.

As Peer Educators, youth instruct their friends through skits, dramas, and presentations on teenage pregnancy and avoiding sexually transmitted diseases. In 2008, Peer Educators educated approximately 150,000 teens and their family members about leading a healthier lifestyle - another record set in one year.

Established in 2005, Children International started the Youth Health Corps in response to a general lack of knowledge about HIV/AIDS among participants of their Youth Program. To date, Peer Educators have encouraged over 350,000 teens and their families to practice healthy habits.

Children International President and CEO Jim Cook states, "We are very proud of the members of our Youth Health Corps. These remarkable youth are to be commended for caring about themselves and their communities. Not only are they changing their own lives, but they're improving entire communities as well."

If you would like to learn more about Children International's Youth Health Corps, visit Children International Youth Health Corps.

About Children International's Youth Program: Children International's Youth Program has more than 128,000 participants around the world. The Youth Program provides teens ages 12 to 19 with a positive environment in which to grow. The program also provides a safe place to gather with their friends, as well as constructive activities to empower them to become leaders in their communities. Members democratically elect a youth council with the intention of solving social, cultural and economic problems.

About Children International: Established in 1936, Children International is a nonprofit organization with its headquarters in Kansas City, Missouri. Children International's programs benefit over 325,000 poor children and their families in 11 countries around the world, including Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Mexico, the Philippines, Zambia and the United States. If you would like to sponsor a youth, visit www.children.org today.