JKH leads private sector fight against HIV

The private sector has a huge responsibility to take action against the spread of HIV in Sri Lanka.

We are aware that John Keells is such an organisation that takes action [in combating HIV] across the island, said Dr. Nimal Edirisinghe, Director, National STD/AIDS Control Programme of the Ministry of Health, which has partnered John Keells Social Responsibility Foundation's HIV/AIDS Awareness Campaign since its very inception in July 2005.

In financial year 2009/10, the Campaign rolled out an HIV/AIDS Workplace Policy across 10 of the Group's Leisure Industry companies in Sri Lanka covering more than 3,500 staff members, trained 26 John Keells staff as Master Trainers on HIV and AIDS, educated 6,358 persons across the island on HIV/AIDS through awareness sessions, and got recognized by the Confederation of Indian Industry.

The HIV/AIDS Awareness Campaign received a fillip when it was highlighted recently in the `Best Practices by Private Sector in Disease Prevention and Management South West Asia Region' - a report compiled by the Confederation of Indian Industry and Friends of the Fund South and West Asia (FoSWA).

The best practices book was launched recently in New Delhi, India at the Conference on Public Health issues in South West Asia. Commenting on this recent recognition given to the Group's HIV/AIDS Awareness Campaign, Lallith Ramanayake, the Group's CSR Head said, This is an inspiring moment for both John Keells and the Sri Lankan business community, because this listing is an acknowledgement of what we have achieved as a private sector company and acts as a beacon to other Sri Lankan companies to join us in our quest to educate more and more Sri Lankan's on the prevention of the spread of this diseases.

Recognising the fact that public resources in emerging markets such as Sri Lanka are constrained, John Keells decided to play a pivotal role in HIV/AIDS prevention both within and outside its workplace in an effective, cost-efficient and sustainable manner, in pursuance of the Millennium Development Goals.

The John Keells Group, under its CSR arm, the John Keells Social Responsibility Foundation, is the first private sector organisation in Sri Lanka to embark on HIV/AIDS awareness creation among diverse groups including corporates, hotels, armed forces and prisons.

The Campaign was initiated in July 2005 in collaboration with the National STD/AIDS Control Programme, International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce.

Beginning with the staff of the John Keells Group, the Campaign moved gradually to educate personnel of other organisations as well.

The Campaign has achieved the distinction of being Sri Lanka's only private sector organisation to educate more than 17,000 persons on HIV and AIDS, apart from its pioneering roll-out of an HIV/AIDS Workplace Policy among 3,500 staff members of its Leisure Industry Group Companies to coincide with World AIDS Day 2009.

JKH was also the principal Sri Lankan corporate sponsor of the 8th ICAAP (International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific) held in Colombo in August 2007.

Speaking on the Campaign's solid performance during the five-year period in general and in fiscal 2009/10 in particular, the Foundation's Manager Carmeline Jayasuriya said. `At John Keells, we have taken our HIV advocacy role very seriously. Our performance in pursuing prevention of the spread of HIV through education and access to correct information over the past five years bears ample testimony to what we have achieved.

The Campaign has reached new heights in 2009/10, exceeding the target of 5000, and going on to educate 6,358 persons across the island including 4,636 personnel of the armed forces alone.