IBM top executives make personal donations to HIV/AIDS care groups

By making regular monthly contributions from their salaries to an internal HIV/AIDS fund for the past 10 months, members of IBM SA`s senior leadership team (SLT) today (Monday, 1 December 2003) contributed R37 000 to IBM donations made to four small organisations that assist people living with HIV/AIDS.

IBM SA topped up the SLT contributions, making it possible to give each organisation the R15 000 needed to keep its doors open.

The organisations are Bethany, a centre for abused women and children; the Kenilworth Daycare Centre for children of Johannesburg hawkers; the Vuselela Ulwazi Lwakho Drop-in Centre, supporting poverty-stricken people and those living with HIV/AIDS; and Tsa-Botsogo Community Development, for people living with HIV/AIDS and diseases such as cancer, diabetes and epilepsy.

Says IBM SA`s corporate social responsibility manager, Alfred Mandewo: "It`s all too easy for big companies like ours to make contributions to the large, national organisations dealing with the HIV/AIDS pandemic and for individuals to take no responsibility for helping other individuals.

"Which is why our SLT decided to make helping with HIV/AIDS a personal matter by contributing donor funds from their own pockets. And, because it is fitting that personal donations be made where they can make a personal, immediate impact, we deliberately chose small organisations as recipients.

"There are hundreds of small community groups all in their quiet and unsupported way shouldering the responsibility of those who are ill and those left behind by those who die. Such groups are, in fact, the bedrock of caring in South African society - whether the issue is HIV/AIDS or cancer or domestic violence. The smallest assistance makes an enormous difference to them.

"The R15 000 that each of the four organisations gets today makes the very real difference of enabling them to continue giving face-to-face, very personal help to those in dire need."

With today`s donations, IBM SA is beginning ongoing relationships with the four organisations, with the aim of providing support as needed in the year to come.

The donations also formed part of a comprehensive World Aids Day programme at IBM SA aimed at creating awareness of the disease.

The day included drummers playing as people arrived at work, presentations by nutritionists and people living with HIV/AIDS, and industrial theatre. Free, confidential counselling and testing was available all day to IBM employees and the staff of IBM cleaning, catering, gardening and other contractors. The testing centre was inundated with people wanting to be tested.

"It`s gratifying to see that people are realising that they need to know their HIV/AIDS status," said Sister Gwynneth Staples, head of the IBM medical centre. "It`s the only way they can empower themselves either to avoid becoming infected or, if they are already infected, get the help that will keep them healthy."

IBM SA has taken robust steps to address HIV/AIDS, even though it has had a known infection rate of only 5% in the past three years.

The company`s HIV/AIDS policy has been in place since 1998, ensuring that the confidentiality of infected employees is assured and that those who choose to declare their HIV status are not discriminated against, either socially or in terms of work opportunities.

An HIV/AIDS treatment programme, at an annual allowance of R25 000 per person, pays for triple-therapy anti-retroviral drugs and regular monitoring by doctors and councillors. The programme, developed for IBM SA by the Innovir Institute, has succeeded in reducing HIV/AIDS-related annual sick days per person from 25 to four.

IBM SA has also installed self-help kiosks where its employees and those of suppliers can access information about the disease.