THE COMMENDED PROGRAM

The best practice workplace program implemented by Hippo Valley Estates takes a holistic approach to HIV/AIDS-addressing non-discrimination, employee education, prevention, voluntary counseling and testing (VCT), and antiretroviral (ARV) treatment for those who need it. The program also incorporates provisions to screen for and treat TB, sexually transmitted infections and opportunistic infections like meningitis.

For Hippo Valley Estates, there is a bottom-line interest in tackling HIV-one-third of its workforce was found to be HIV positive in a 2003 baseline assessment. The company has since enrolled 1,500 employees on ARV treatment, 99 percent of whom are now fully healthy and back to work.

While the program's treatment efforts have kept more than 1,000 HIV-positive people healthy and productive, Hippo Valley Estates's prevention efforts have nearly halved the HIV prevalence rate among employees. HIV prevalence dropped from 34.8 percent in 2003 to 18.3 percent in 2006.

CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS

Fighting Stigma Where Stigma Kills
Hippo Valley Estates has taken a strategic approach to HIV/AIDS stigma, using the power of peer educators, HIV support groups and family health days to raise awareness and reduce fear. In 2008, the company organized a community music concert featuring performers who are living with HIV/AIDS. The performers challenged audience-members' preconceptions about what it means to live with HIV/AIDS through songs, dramatic skits and personal testimonials.

Cost-Sharing Partnerships
Hippo Valley Estates has been able to expand the scope and scale of its program thanks to co-financing agreements, like the one it has with The Global Fund to help pay for HIV-positive employees' ARV treatment. The company also shares costs with the Ministry of Health, which provides HIV test kits free of charge, and a local NGO, ZAPSO, which performs its employee prevalence surveying.