| Website launches with a bang |
|
|
|
Members of SABCOHA and others interested in the fight against HIV/AIDS gathered at Wits University's planetarium yesterday for the official launch of SABCOHA's new website. Desiree Daniels, Metropolitan AIDS Solutions manager and SABCOHA board member, gave the keynote address to around 80 business leaders, HIV/AIDS specialists, service providers and others who attended the launch. Daniels said a spectrum of challenges faced the business sector, with big business having the resources to make a difference and small, medium and micro enterprises lacking resources and support. "We also have some companies who have gone to great lengths to put successful programmes in place, while others are still coming on board. Sadly, as is the case in all sectors across the country, we are still finding lots of duplication, fragmentation and gaps in our national response."
Daniels said the time had come for a more active sharing of learnings - both positive and negative: "We are at the stage when we can't start over from scratch each time we need to access these learnings. I believe that the website will be able to capture a whole lot of information, experiences and learnings so that when someone updates a programme or starts a new programme, they have something to work from." Brad Mears, who led the audience through a presentation of the new website said: "As business struggles to find its way through the clutter of conflicting and sometimes misleading information, the SABCOHA website provides you with relevant, accurate information on statistics, research, current best practice and latest developments in the fight against HIV. Mears said the website, developed by Philippa Garson Consultants, would enhance SABCOHA's involvement in a nationally-coordinated response to HIV/AIDS by communicating the latest developments to members and other sectors on the South African National AIDS Council. The website also updates members on SABCOHA's many activities around the country and provides them with a communications tool, added Mears.
"As business struggles to find its way through the clutter of conflicting and sometimes misleading information, the SABCOHA website provides you with relevant, accurate information on statistics, research, current best practice and latest developments in the fight against HIV," said Mears. "By providing you, and many others with this tool, we aim to inspire leaders to lead, encourage action to be taken by everyone, for learnings to be learnt, for standards to be set, and questions for which we do not know the answers, to be answered, galvanizing all South Africans to strive to achieve the three zeros - no new infections, no AIDS deaths, no babdies born with HIV," he said. - SABCOHA For more information This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it SABCOHA: Related articles: |
She described SABCOHA's revamped website as a "valuable resource" and a "credible, comprehensive and user-friendly" aid to those working to minimise the impact of HIV/AIDS in the workplace.
Critically, in aiming to empower business in the fight against HIV/AIDS, the website shares information on current best practice among those in business, research and other sectors, both locally and internationally.