The integrated communications-driven
strategy in South Africa to optimally manage and,
in time, reduce the impact of HIV/Aids in our
workplace was extended to other African countries
where Standard Bank maintains business operations.
Stanbic Africa joined the Private Investors of
Africa (PIA), a group of multinational corporations
operating in Africa. The objectives of PIA are
as follows:
- for companies to work together to make an
impact on HIV/Aids;
- to work through business networks to increase
business community impact on tackling HIV/Aids;
and
- to influence the National Aids Councils (and
key donors) to improve actions to tackle HIV/Aids.
The results of the knowledge, attitude, perception
and behaviour (KAPB) survey carried out in September
2003, helped us to develop a series of country-specific
initiatives to counter the impact of HIV/Aids
in our African workplaces and the communities
in which our employees live. Some of these initiatives
include:
- developing a holistic employee wellness strategy
through which HIV/Aids will be one of the key
health issues;
- implementing an HIV/Aids policy to ensure
optimal alignment among all African countries,
including South Africa, for implementing and
sustaining our HIV/Aids interventions. We had
a life threatening diseases policy and all the
other diseases covered in the policy overshadowed
HIV/Aids, hence the decision to have a separate
HIV/Aids policy; and
- using the Bridges of Hope programme, which
provides practical concepts and tools for making
positive life choices in the face of an HIV/Aids
pandemic, to educate, sensitise, and train employees
about HIV/Aids.
Stanbic Africa is embarking on a process of
managing the workplace HIV programme to ensure
that the impact of HIV/Aids on the organisation
and its people is reduced or controlled. In order
to achieve that goal the organisation has to ensure
that the following objectives are met:
- a well defined HIV programme is in place in
all the sites;
- the programmes in the sites are efficient
and render services that are worth the investments
made;
- there is reasonable standardisation or uniformity
of the processes as far as possible;
- any special conditions that prevail in some
countries or sites and not in the others are
determined;
- the problem areas are identified and a response
is formulated; and
- benchmarks are derived and experiences are
shared.
An assessment will be conducted in 2005 to ascertain
the status of the various HIV/Aids programmes
in each country.
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