Caltex launches AIDS awareness campaign

Chevron Lubricants Lanka PLC, marketers of Caltex branded Lubricants in Sri Lanka, has launched a major awareness campaign to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS.

To address the rapid spread of the virus Caltex has identified highly vulnerable groups of people, where prevalence and spread of infection is found to be high.

Recent research statistics indicate that an increasing number of HIV/AIDS carriers are individuals who are away from home and also, who find employment in Colombo and other major industrial zones that are highly populated.

These individuals are mostly employed in blue collar jobs.

Under the initial phase of its campaign, Caltex launched an interactive awareness building training programs for its own islandwide network of service station staff and other distribution channels and customers.

Under this national awareness campaign, Caltex plans to cover the entire country within one year educating the most vulnerable age groups in our society, of this dreaded disease.

The sessions were covered by experts sourced by Lanka Business Coalition on HIV and AIDS and is a very interactive program involving listeners into role play and also of question and answer sessions. The training is designed to equip individuals with adequate awareness about the alarming statistics, risk factors, its irreversible effects, the social dilemma, and other vital aspects related to the disease.

Research suggests that approximately 75% to 90% of the people infected are not aware of the infection till a very late stage, which in most cases is too late to begin treatment.

The lack of awareness is a key impediment that causes people to compromise on taking the right safety and precautionary measures to prevent this deadly disease from spreading to their families, and communities they live in. "As a corporate entity engaged in several community development projects in the country, Caltex is proud to play a dedicated role in awareness creation in Sri Lanka", said Managing Director/CEO of Chevron Lubricants Lanka PLC. Kishu Gomes.