Kenya: Fighting HIV/AIDS

A strategy for HIV/AIDS education and prevention

As there is currently no cure for AIDS, prevention is critical to halt the spread of the disease, and education is essential to make that possible. In June 2008, more than 600 employees from Unilever Kenya and other Kenyan companies spent a week learning about HIV/AIDS. The annual event was organised by 'Neighbours Against AIDS', a coalition of eight companies committed to developing a common approach to tackling HIV/AIDS in the workplace. The coalition, launched by Unilever Kenya in 2002, is part of the company's 15-year campaign to educate its employees about the disease.

Sharing learning with other companies

Unilever Kenya's HIV/AIDS strategy focuses on providing access to primary health care and treatment, protecting health in the workplace, ensuring medical fitness for the job and promoting health and well-being.

The strategy reflects the company's commitment to the occupational health of its employees. But Unilever Kenya was quick to recognise that the problem of HIV/AIDS stretched beyond the walls of its operations. It saw that working in partnership was the only way to effectively tackle the causes of HIV/AIDS, so approached five other major companies and suggested pooling efforts to combat the pandemic. Now eight-strong, the coalition meets regularly to share ideas and experience.

In a separate initiative, Unilever Kenya helped set up the Kenya HIV/AIDS Private Sector Business Council. The Council encourages Kenyan companies to adopt workplace HIV/AIDS programmes by creating and building the private sector's capacity to fight the disease and share best practice. It provides information and resources to help employers combat stigma in the workplace. Unilever Kenya has run a series of awareness-raising activities over the years, ranging from workshops and workplace posters to peer education schemes and education leaflets. Other companies have taken the model as the basis for setting up their own workplace programmes.

From awareness to action

Awareness of HIV/AIDS is almost universal among the Kenyan population, says Mumbi Kyalo, Corporate Relations Manager with Unilever Kenya. To promote action, two campaigns were launched in 2004 that encouraged people to take HIV tests and to think about the risks associated with their sexual relationships.

These themes form the centrepiece of the annual week of events organised by Neighbours Against AIDS. In 2008, the theme was 'Neighbours for a healthy lifestyle'. The week of activities culminated in an entertaining spectacle in a local sports stadium.

"Employees attribute a lot of their behavioural change to the campaigns that we've started in the workplace. The week of events, for example, gives them a platform to interact with other people. It provides them with a forum to come out and speak, as well as an opportunity for the company to understand what employees feel about the threat of AIDS," says Mumbi.

Employees, their families and friends listen to talks on issues like nutrition and TB (tuberculosis), which have a direct bearing on people living with HIV/AIDS. Voluntary counselling and testing is offered to demystify HIV/AIDS, and health checks for blood pressure, body mass index and diabetes are also given.

The social, cultural and economic impact of the AIDS pandemic has been huge, with HIV/AIDS claiming over 1.2 million Kenyan lives. However, the figures are dropping. According to the most recent official estimates, about one in every 15 people is infected with HIV – half the number in 2002.