Soul Beat Africa
African development action with informed and engaged societies
Soul Beat Africa
After nearly 28 years, The Communication Initiative (The CI) Global is entering a new chapter. Following a period of transition, the global website has been transferred to the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in South Africa, where it will be administered by the Social and Behaviour Change Communication Division. Wits' commitment to social change and justice makes it a trusted steward for The CI's legacy and future.
 
Co-founder Victoria Martin is pleased to see this work continue under Wits' leadership. Victoria knows that co-founder Warren Feek (1953–2024) would have felt deep pride in The CI Global's Africa-led direction.
 
We honour the team and partners who sustained The CI for decades. Meanwhile, La Iniciativa de Comunicación (CILA) continues independently at cila.comminitcila.com and is linked with The CI Global site.
Time to read
1 minute
Print
a- a+
Published 20 years ago
Last updated 1 year ago
Read so far

HIV/AIDS Workplace Programmes

0 comments
The Zambia Health Education and Communications Trust (ZHECT) has developed an initiative to work with company management and employees in HIV/AIDS prevention strategies and workplace policy development and dissemination. The project seeks to provide members of Zambia's work force with concrete information and services related to AIDS prevention, as well as to combat stigma and discrimination in the workplace.
Communication Strategies

Programme activities include providing HIV/AIDS education on basic facts and prevention methods, training workplace peer educators (both employees and managers), forming workplace support groups, holding skills-building workshops to provide employees and their spouses with skills necessary to translate knowledge into positive behavioural change, creating linkages for providing antiretroviral (ARV) therapy, treating sexually transmitted infections (STIs), offering voluntary counselling and testing (VCT), and distributing condoms.

In the above activities, interpersonal exchanges are the key approach: The project uses group discussions, one-on-one talks by trained peer educators, condom demonstrations, role play, video shows, and testimonies from people living with HIV/AIDS. Educational talks are given every day on various topics by peer educators. During the sessions, fliers and pamphlets are distributed. Posters in the workplace are another means of communicating HIV/AIDS information. Other activities are carried out in response to identified needs.

Development Issues

HIV/AIDS.

Key Points

ZHECT believes that workplace HIV/AIDS programmes play an important role in mitigating HIV/AIDS impacts on businesses. "The...age group affected by the pandemic are those in reproductive stage (15-49 yrs) and this is the same group that is found in the workplace. Unfortunately, this most affected group is the one that has fewer opportunities to get information on HIV/AIDS because they spend most of their time in the workplace."

Organisers say that addressing employees gives the employer an opportunity to contribute to the welfare of their employees, which makes their business more viable and can help to maximise productivity and profits. HIV/AIDS policies in the workplace help to deal with issues of stigma and discrimination and enhance care and support for people living with HIV/AIDS.

The use of peer educators has, according to ZHECT, proved to be a very effective strategy in communicating behaviour change messages in the workplace because it is done in a manner that is acceptable to the work culture of each organisation.

Partners

ZHECT, Ministry of Health, National AIDS Council, Zambia Business Coalition.

Sources

Email from Florence Mulenga to The Communication Initiative on October 11 2004.