Mainstreaming HIV/AIDS

Like many sub Saharan African countries, HIV/AIDS is one of the major factors adversely affect the development of Ethiopia. According to the Ministry of Health and HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Office of Ethiopia, the HIV prevalence rate in 2005 was 3.5% and more than 1 million people were living with HIV/AIDS. The estimated prevalence was 10% in urban and 1.9% in rural areas. On the other hand, the International Labor Organization (ILO) indicated that 90% of people living with HIV/AIDS worldwide categorized in the labor force.

GTZ IS has endorsed its own workplace HIV/AIDS policy in 2006 and is also committed itself for mainstreaming HIV/AIDS in those companies involved in the UCBP. The external mainstreaming strategy in the UCBP is categorized in to two.

There are GTZ IS HIV/AIDS focal persons at each of the 15 construction sites. These focal persons organize different HIV/AIDS related activities targeting primarily construction workers, and also university students as a secondary target group. Awareness raising events, peer education trainings, mini media program, user friendly condom distribution, IE/BCC material distribution as well as mobilization and facilitation Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT) are some of the activities carry out by the HIV/AIDS focal persons.

The second category incorporates the Tier I, II and III companies involved in the UCBP. The companies are supported to develop their own workplace HIV/AIDS policy and engaged in mobilizing their workers for HIV/AIDS activities both at the UCBP sites as well as at their head quarters. HIV/AIDS mainstreaming among companies is also linked with ISO 9001; 2000 as GTZ IS capacity development support to the companies.

HIV/AIDS training and workshops conducted for company representatives to enhance workplace HIV/AIDS mainstreaming

In this process, it is observed that these companies are implementing promising activities in reviewing their operational direction, learn from their past experience and identify priority areas in order to scale up of HIV/AIDS intervention in the construction industry. GTZ IS enhanced the capacity of the companies to assess the risk of HIV in their company and employees; and to mainstream HIV/AIDS in order to mitigate its impact in their workplace.

The initiative of GTZ IS created an opportunity for the companies to maintain the health and productivity of their workers which contributed to increasing the companies’ competitiveness in the market. Furthermore, by caring out their corporate social responsibility; it is believed that the companies enhance a positive image in the public mind as well as their long term business competitiveness and profitability.