Projects

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

About the Company Magana Flowers Kenya Limited is a fully owned subsidiary of Magana Holdings Limited, a privately owned company with interests in real estate, coffee farming, information technology and other investments. Started in 1994, Magana Flowers is located in Kikuyu, approximately 18 km from Kenya’s capital, Nairobi. Surrounded by 11 villages, Magana Flowers has a workforce of 500 permanent employees, 67% of whom are women, and 50-100 migratory workers who stay at the company for 11 months before returning home. Some 80% of the employees are in the sexually active age bracket of 20-49 years. The company grows 23 different varieties of roses spread over 18 hectares. The flowers are exported to several European countries. HIV/AIDS in Kenya With 1.3 million people [1.1 million—1.5 million] living with HIV, Kenya is still contending with a serious epidemic, despite evidence of declining HIV prevalence nationally. According to the joint United Nations program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), national adult HIV prevalence fell from 10 percent in the late 1990s to just over 6 percent in 2005. There has also been a steep drop in infection levels among pregnant women at a majority of antenatal sites with consistent and comparable HIV data. At some of those sites, HIV prevalence fell from 25 percent in 1998 to 8 percent in 2004, while in others it declined from 15 percent in 2001 to 4.3 percent in 2004. Despite the recent decline in HIV prevalence, Kenya’s population has been adversely affected. Largely due to AIDS, life expectancy dropped from 60 to 45 years from 1990 to 2002. HIV/AIDS Program Foundations Magana Flowers has taken a number of actions to ensure a strong foundation for its HIV/AIDS program. Working with IFC Against AIDS, the company crafted an action plan for its HIV/AIDS program and a policy articulating its position on the epidemic and obligations towards staff and the wider community. However, the policy is yet to be officially launched and communicated to all staff. A coordinator for the HIV/AIDS program was appointed along with an AIDS Committee comprising staff from various sections of the company. Chaired by the program coordinator, the committee is charged with implementing the HIV/AIDS program. Senior management commitment has been demonstrated by the provision of a budget for HIV/AIDS activities, under the general training budget, and the keen interest of the Managing Director, Santosh Gholkar, who monitors the work of the AIDS committee through face-to- face briefings and reports. Implementation and Partnerships Partnerships: Working with partners is a key part of the HIV/AIDS program of Magana Flowers. The company has partnered with the Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA) to implement preventative interventions such as the delivery of HIV/AIDS education and awareness sessions, and Voluntary Counseling and HIV Testing (VCT). For example, from June to August 2006, PCEA conducted VCT at Magana Flowers. VCT was conducted by four counselors, one of whom is living with HIV/AIDS. Of the 250 employees tested, 21 were found to be HIV positive, translating into overall HIV prevalence in the company of 8.4 percent—higher than the national average of just over 6 percent. Confidentiality was maintained as the company was not given the names of the employees found to be HIV positive. During the same period, PCEA conducted weekly awareness session on HIV transmission and prevention, and how to live positively with HIV. In the company itself, HIV/AIDS issues are addressed during orientations for new staff. Other prevention services offered by the company include provision of free condoms and HIV/AIDS Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) materials. As many as 3,000 male condoms are distributed to staff every month through three on-site dispensing machines. The condoms are supplied by the Kenya Business Council (KBC), to which Magana Flowers is a paid member. IEC materials such as HIV/AIDS pamphlets, printed articles, posters, and videos are provided by KBC, PCEA, and Population Services International (PSI), an international non-governmental organization. Six employees have volunteered as peer educators and will soon receive the appropriate training. Treatment and Care: Magana Flowers provides a number of medical services to staff and their families through its clinic located in the company premises. With a full time nurse (who is also a member of the AIDS committee), and a medical doctor who works one day a week, the clinic provides treatment for Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), malaria, and other common infections, as well as family planning services to staff and their families. Referrals are made to the PCEA hospital. For example, employees found to be HIV positive during the VCT sessions held in 2006 were given appointments by the counselors for visits to the PCEA hospital where anti-retroviral therapy is provided free of charge. Working with IFC Against AIDS Magana Flowers’ first contact with IFC Against AIDS was in September 2005 when the company attended IFC’s HIV/AIDS training for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). However, a much more structured engagement with IFC Against AIDS started in 2006. Currently, IFC Against AIDS is providing guidance to Magana Flowers in the implementation of its workplace program. Also, IFC Against AIDS is to support the company’s HIV/AIDS program through a performance based grant. This funding will cover up to 50% of the cost of specific HIV/AIDS interventions undertaken magana Flowers. Future Plans Magana Flowers has planned a number of actions in moving ahead with the implementation of its HIV/AIDS action plan. First, senior management is to provide a dedicated budget for HIV/AIDS divorced from the general staff training budget. The company plans to officially launch its HIV/AIDS policy and give a copy to each employee. Six new volunteer peer educators are to be trained and more will be recruited. In order to have a baseline for the HIV/AIDS program, a Knowledge, Attitudes, Behaviors and Practices (KABP) survey is to be conducted and will be funded 100 percent by IFC Against AIDS.

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