Old Mutual and Nehawu announce partnership to tackle HIV/Aids impact

In recognition of the devastating effects of HIV/Aids in our communities, Old Mutual has joined forces with the National Education Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) to train 30 facilitators who will provide support to communities across the country.
 
The objective of the Old Mutual and Nehawu HIV/Aids initiative is to train facilitators in all nine South African provinces who will go back into their communities and build the capacity of community members to counter the impact of HIV/Aids.
 
The facilitators will educate fellow union and community members on how to deal with the prevention, stigma and discrimination of HIV/Aids and to provide support to these communities.

These trainees who will be trained by the facilitators will, in turn, be able to:
 
* Build the capacity of other union members through training, guidance and support around HIV/Aids issues on a personal level and within their circles of influence;
* Mobilise different parts of the community to take action in order to limit the impact of the disease. This would be achieved by training other educators.

Speaking at the certification ceremony (of the 30 facilitators) last night, Marshall Rapiya, MD of Old Mutual Retail, said there is no reason for anybody living with HIV/AIDS not to realise their full potential.
 
"Therefore, it is our mission to equip our stakeholders with the information they need to support all of their affected and infected members. The train-the-trainer workshops hosted by Old Mutual are an initiative we have driven for four years," said Rapiya.
 
Rapiya added that through this HIV/Aids initiative, Old Mutual had ensured that people living with HIV/Aids in the communities it served were treated with dignity and that they received the support they needed to live their lives to the full.Nehawu President, Noluthando Mayende-Sibiya, said putting a collective effort together with Old Mutual in the fight against HIV/Aids was a milestone in the partnership between the two organizations, which has spanned more than 12 years.

"We are conscious of the fact that this pandemic cannot be won by isolated battles or efforts. We are confident that through this partnership with Old Mutual, we will make a huge impact in the fight against this dreaded pandemic," She said.Nehawu is one of the biggest Public Sector Union and the biggest in the Public Service Coordinating Bargaining Council - a negotiations structure for public service employees in South Africa.