Many of our businesses in South Africa and Mozambique are in areas where the incidence of HIV/AIDS is among the highest in the world. In fulfilling our responsibility to care for our employees, we have developed support programs to help prevent them from acquiring the disease or, in the case of patients, to receive appropriate treatment. In line with our Charter, we are also assisting the broader community to cope with the effects of the epidemic by participating in a range of projects with government, community organisations, NGOs and industry groups.
In recognising the severity of this devastating health issue, our sites have put into place various strategies to limit the impact of HIV/AIDS on our employees and our operations. These include supporting educational and awareness programs; promoting healthy lifestyles; and, in collaboration with trade unions, arranging anonymous testing and counselling.
In Mozambique, the Mozal Community Development Trust is supporting an HIV/AIDS prevention initiative known as the Total Control of the Epidemic program. At the inception of the program in 2000, 100 trained field officers were tasked with contacting 2000 people each. To date over 200 000 people have been contacted and informed about HIV/AIDS.
The team's mission has been to educate the community about the prevention of HIV/AIDS, encourage people to ascertain their status by being tested, and direct those suffering from the disease to facilities where treatment is available.
The Trust also supports the Government's voluntary testing centres situated in Maputo and surrounding areas. The Boane testing centre is run by trained professionals, assisted by volunteers, who offer testing and counselling for members of the community.