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About the Company: With operations dating as far back as 1911, Magadi Soda Company (MSC) is one of Kenya's oldest private investments. The company utilizes Lake Magadi’s trona to produce sodium carbonate (soda ash), a vital constituent in a wide range of manufacturing processes including those for glass, detergents and other chemicals. It is also used in the manufacture of a diverse range of products including pharmaceuticals, bakery products, and personal care products such as toothpaste and deodorants.
Located in the Kajiado district in central Kenya, MSC is surrounded predominantly by the Maasai, a semi-nomadic tribe with whom the company has built a strong bond as a development partner. Indeed, MSC sees its survival as intrinsically linked to the community, hence its ambitious corporate social responsibility program.
HIV/AIDS in Kenya: Although Kenya has been hit hard by the HIV/AIDS epidemic, there have been signs of reductions in prevalence at the national level. In its 2005 epidemic update, the joint United Nations program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), reported a prevalence rate among adults of about 7%, down from an overall prevalence of 10% in the late 90s. According to UNAIDS, the most dramatic drops in prevalence have been among pregnant women in urban Kenya, especially in Busia, Meru, Nakaru, and Thika from a prevalence of 28% in 1999 to 9% in 2003. But UNAIDS also warned that the death rates could be higher than the rates at which new infections are occurring.
Community Engagement: Involving local people as Stakeholders in a positive and transparent manner, sympathetic to their needs is what informs MSC’s community engagement.
In line with its Community Development Project (CDP), the company provides a myriad of services and benefits to its employees and community members. These range from housing to clinical, health and education services, water supply, and rail transportation. MSC’s management holds regular meetings with stakeholders including elected councilors, elders, women, youth and Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs). A Community Development Officer (CDO), hired by the company, coordinates all the community outreach initiatives.
AIDS Action Plan: MSC has developed a detailed HIV/AIDS action plan which aims to provide a more systematic, coordinated and sustained approach to fighting the epidemic. Implementation of the action plan, which is guided by the company’s HIV/AIDS policy, is the responsibility of a broad-based AIDS committee comprising human resource personnel, the CDO, safety officers, representatives from peer educators and the employees’ union, and local school head teachers. “AIDS is at the heart of all our activities within the company and in the community,” says Dr. Sam Wendo, a senior medical officer at MSC and coordinator of the AIDS program.
Working with IFC Against AIDS: Although MSC has been engaged in addressing HIV/AIDS issues since the 1990s, its relationship with IFC Against AIDS started in 2003. Currently, IFC Against AIDS is providing guidance in the implementation of the workplace and community programs. MSC has 353 permanent and 200 casual employees, and those numbers are expected to double in the planned company expansion. In the past two years the company has realized the following:
- Adoption of a company HIV/AIDS policy.
- Adoption of a roadmap for action crafted from existing HIV/AIDS activities.
- Creation of an AIDS committee to drive the priorities for action.
- Appointment of the AIDS coordinator, Dr. Sam Wendo, also a senior medical officer in the company who oversees the hospital.
- Mainstreaming HIV/AIDS into the CDP.
- Stepping up education and awareness activities through peer education.
- ·Provision of Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT) services.
- ·Provision of Anti-retroviral Therapy (ART) to employees and dependants.
Education and Prevention Programs: HIV/AIDS education and awareness are key components of MSC’s workplace and community programs. A cadre of 35 peer educators including staff, local teachers and representatives from women, faith and youth groups, provide HIV education and awareness training both within the company and in the community. MSC provides vehicles, audio-visual equipment and videos for peer education in schools and churches. Also, training has been held for local leaders to enable them to participate more effectively in HIV/AIDS advocacy and prevention activities. A company VCT center offers free services to the employees and community including nutritional counseling to the HIV positive. In the Magadi township and on the company premises, several murals depict HIV/AIDS educational messages. Both the daily safety briefings held in the factory and the safety training for new employees incorporate HIV/AIDS information.
Care and Treatment Programs: Extensive healthcare benefits including HIV/AIDS care and prevention services are provided at the company-operated 50-bed hospital manned by 21 staff comprising doctors, clinical officers, nurses and paramedics. While employees receive free treatment for infections and any necessary hospitalizations, community members use the services for a fee. ART and the associated medical tests are provided free of charge to HIV positive employees and their dependants, and at a fee for community members. However, treatment for Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) is free for both employees and community members, and in the past five years there has been a dramatic drop in STIs from 50 cases per month to just three per month. Also provided free are treatments for tuberculosis and prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV that is available to all mothers who access antenatal and maternity services at the company hospital.
Partnerships: MSC utilizes partners in the provision of services to its staff and the community. Partnerships with two NGOs, the African Medical Research Foundation (AMREF) and PharmAccess are already underway for the training of the clinical staff and the company’s AIDS committee. The company is also looking to partnering with other organizations to offer free nutritional supplements and food stuffs to needy people living with HIV/AIDS. At the same time the company is looking at greater collaboration with existing government programs.
Monitoring Effectiveness: MSC monitors its HIV/AIDS activities through a number of indicators, including condom usage, incidence of STIs, uptake of VCT, and other clinical indicators. The regular interaction of clinical staff with the workforce and the community also provides anecdotal evidence to support fairly good assessment of an increase of HIV in the community.
Lessons Learned and Application to Clients:
- By involving the community in decision-making, the company effectively brings the community in as an active partner.
- Involving both the senior management and operations staff in the HIV/AIDS program is key to its success.
- By positioning itself as a partner in development, a company can positively influence the health of an entire community.
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