Under our guidance work, our most recent projects have included companies in the following sectors: banking, telecommunications, mining, tourism, construction, transport, horticulture, and energy.
AFRICA
Bonite Bottling Company
DFCU, Uganda
K-Rep Bank, Kenya
Magadi Soda Company, Kenya
Magana Flowers Kenya Ltd
Mozal II, Mozambique
MTN Nigeria
Serena Hotels, Kenya
Hernic Ferrochrome, South Africa
Odebrecht, Angola
View a video on the Odebrecht HIV/AIDS workplace program. 150k speed and above (21MB).
INDIA
Ambuja Cement
Apolo Tyres
Ballapur Industries Limited (BILT
Usha Martin
JAMAICA
Jamaica Public Service Company Limited
About the Company
Jamaica Public Service company (JPSCo), a limited liability company, was incorporated in 1923 with the expressed purpose of generating, transmitting, distributing and supplying electricity throughout Jamaica. IFC financed a project for the construction of a 120 MW combined cycle power plant sponsored by JPSCo, as a part of its capacity expansion program. The total project cost was approximately US$127.5 million. IFC’s investment was a US$45 million A Loan. Mirant Corporation of the US has acquired majority ownership of JPSCo (80%) and the remaining 20% of the issued shares are owned by the government of Jamaica and a number of private and institutional shareholders. Mirant Corporation is one of the world's largest competitive providers of electricity and energy-related products and services, with extensive operations in the Americas, Europe, and Asia.
HIV/AIDS in Jamaica
The prevalence rate for Jamaica is estimated at 1.2 % of the population, according to estimates of the United Nations Joint Program on AIDS (UNAIDS) at the end of 2005. Prevalence rates above 1% indicate that the HIV epidemic has spread to the general population and is no longer restricted to just groups at high risk. About 22,000 are estimated to be living with HIV/AIDS in the country, with many people unaware of their status. Although these numbers seem modest in comparison to the extent of the catastrophe in Africa, Jamaica is at a turning point, where efforts need to be expanded to effectively manage the epidemic or it could spread to crisis levels.
Currently more men than women are infected in the country, but the number of HIV-positive women is rising rapidly: infection rates with young women have risen by an estimated 40% each year since 1999. Young people, aged 15-19 have the highest rates of 2.5%, followed by 25-29 with 2%. AIDS is the second-leading cause of death in children under five. The disease affects the most economically productive segment of the population with AIDS as the leading cause of death in men and women between 30 and 34 years of age. In fact, as many as 50 people between the ages of 20-40 die each month from AIDS in Jamaica.
JPSCo and IFC Against AIDS
JPSCo has decided to take a leadership role to address the rising incidence of HIV/AIDS in Jamaica, by being proactive in establishing both an internal HIV/AIDS program targeting its workforce and an external HIV/AIDS program dedicated to community awareness of the disease. The company has embraced the tools and methodologies of IFC Against AIDS and is working to develop a business plan around its HIV/AIDS activities. It has also identified people to champion the internal and external programs. Funding for the company’s activities will be covered through monies invested by the company, although IFC Against AIDS will work with the company to identify other resources that could augment their investment and enable a more expansive and far reaching program to be developed.
Getting Started
JPSCo has developed a comprehensive policy addressing HIV/AIDS and other diseases. The company is drawing inspiration from a number of sources, such as the Jamaica Employers Federation, as well as from materials provided by IFC Against AIDS. Concurrently, the company is beginning to pull together an AIDS Committee which will be trained by IFC Against AIDS to be able to move forward the AIDS program.
Education and prevention programs
HIV/AIDS education and prevention programs are an important part of JPSCo’s AIDS program. The company has integrated HIV/AIDS issues in the monthly occupational health and safety (OHS) training provided to employees. JPSCo would like to begin a peer education program for its workforce. Participants would be comprised of all OHS staff, some training staff, some employee relations staff, and customer service center staff. The company will look to provide printed and audiovisual materials that can be displayed in all of their 16 customer service centers, thereby increasing outreach into the community. The company plans to use its billing platform as a distribution channel for HIV/AIDS educational messages. The company will develop a cartoon series to provide basic information and educational messages about HIV/AIDS, ideally building on their "Maizie and Daphne" cartoons that have been used to educate consumers on topics such as how to read a meter and getting connected legally. This effort will seek to reach JPSCo’s consumer base (which is practically all of Jamaica), with accurate information and address some of the stigma associated with the disease.
Partnerships
Working with partners in both the public and private sector is an important component of JPSco’s AIDS program. The company is working in close collaboration with Jamaica AIDS Support (JAS), a leading NGO in the field of HIV/AIDS services in Jamaica, on a proposal to participate in and partially fund a region-specific tourism sector project. The proposal is in the nascent stages, but to date, a number of donors and private sector companies have expressed interest in developing the concept further. Additionally, JPSCo has been a strong contributor to Missionaries of the Poor, a faith-based organization which cares for the sick in the capital Kingston, including a home for people and children living with HIV/AIDS.
