Recent statistics from global HIV epidemics indicate that there is still an increase in the number of new HIV infections. This has resulted in the need for more innovative prevention tools. Despite much effort from funders, researchers and communities, there has been both encouraging and equally discouraging results in this respect .

The commonest mode of transmission in Sub-Saharan Africa is heterosexual with the highest prevalence among the sexually active. According to the UNAIDS, people who are infected get sick because their immunity is directly affected and if no interventions are made they get sick within eight to 10 years.

As shown by the intervention by other companies like Eskom in South Africa and Debswana in Botswana, staff support by the corporate sector in different ways has managed to reduce their cost of health services and reduce the impact of the disease at the workplace and in the communities at macro and microeconomic level.

The Debswana experience has taught us very important aspects of carrying out social responsibility involving HIV/AIDS at the workplace. Two concepts are very important: that is vulnerability and susceptibility.

Susceptibility describes those aspects of an organisation that make the workers more or less likely to contract the disease. For example, employment of migrant workers and lack of preventive policies.

Vulnerability are those aspects of the organisation that make it more or less likely that unusual levels of illness or death will have negative impact on the operations of the company. For example, the falling sick of employees with key skills which are not easy to replace will impact negatively on production.

Interventions that modify vulnerability and susceptibility will make a difference on the impact on the epidemic on business and in the society.These are just a few examples that have shown that investing in HIV/AIDS as corporate social responsibility is beneficiary to the community and the company itself.

The impact of HIV/AIDS is not only a health issue, but it is also an issue that goes to the core of business practices. The effect is evident at two levels: the individual company level and at the macroeconomic level. Both these need the response of business if it is to survive.

It is important for business to identify the impact on markets, savings, investment, services and education. The impact of HIV/AIDS on people’s health affects their productivity and the increased household expenditure on health also reduces the savings and investments hence reducing the market for business especially for services outside food, housing and energy. This will effectively affect economic growth.

The United Nations estimates that for a country with an HIV prevalence of 10%, the economic growth rate can be reduced by one third. There is also the impact of the perception of investors if the HIV/AIDS is not controlled in the Sub-Saharan Africa or any region of the world. There will be reduction in the investment and hence the growth of the economies in the region is going to be compromised.

The involvement of business in corporate social responsibility involving HIV/AIDS will assist in reducing all these negative aspects and move society in the positive direction.

The corporate social responsibility by a business in terms of HIV/AIDS can be at workers level and at the community level. If the company has an HIV policy, it will assist its workers in dealing with the disease.

In 2002 Anglo America in South Africa announced that it was going to give its workers antiretroviral because it was cost effective. Debswana in Botswana did the same and indeed confirmed that the programme was cost effective.

Eskom reported that new infections were projected to cost it 4-6 times the annual salary per individual in 2006. Eskom reported that the cost of existing infections during the 2006-2010 was going to average 7% of the payroll.

So this shows that if a company realises these effects, sees the need for corporate social responsibility and makes an intervention, it can make a difference. The intervention in all these companies has shown that the company makes a saving both financially and in human hours by reducing the amount of absenteeism due to hospitalisation and off sick. In the same vain there arises the importance of the business to extend the social corporate responsibility to the community.

The HIV transmission is basically heterosexual in Southern Africa and the level of poverty in the general community has been seen to be a driver of the infection. If the business community assists the community by uplifting the standard of living, building hospitals and schools and making sure that the orphans are looked after then the spread of the disease is a reduced and business benefit as well.

In the same vein, this disease tends to be a family and community problem. This means that the business has to extend its corporate social responsibility to the families of its workers for it to derive maximum benefits.

In Zambia, 40% of teachers are infected by HIV. Studies done in East African businesses have shown that absenteeism accounts for between 25-56% of cost of production.

The provision of health services is not only a cost but it is also an investment. Preventing and limiting sickness /absenteeism and controlling workforce health risks. Business must invest in food security. This will assist in that the people reduce getting into risk behaviour in search of food and better nutrition also improves their health status.

In the same vain investment in sanitary facilities like water and toilets improve the quality of life of the communities and reduce the incidence of the opportunistic infections and the spread of HIV.

One of the biggest challenges to face mankind in the era of HIV/AIDS is the increase in orphans. AIDS orphans create another driver of the infection if they are not assisted with food and education.

Investment in looking after these disadvantaged victims of the epidemic as is being done by Econet in Zimbabwe has shown that it does not only empower them but also frees the society of evil activities in which they may end up getting engaged in for survival. They end up getting involved in theft, prostitution and robberies and hence perpetuating the spread of the disease.

Sponsoring sports activities like soccer has been seen to keep away the youth from crime and risk taking behaviour and hence assist in the controlling of the disease.

The corporate world must at times just be involved in charity without asking too deeply why good cause exists. It just makes good moral reason to invest in the communities from which the business makes its profit. It also helps that companies improve their public image. Besides, it raises the morale of the workforce who feel protected. Their families also feel protected.

For example, I remember in Zimbabwe it once became the wish of everyone to work for Mimosa mine because it was giving its workers and the local hospital food during the height of economic difficulties and shortages of food. Everyone felt and wanted to be identified with the company.

According to the UNAIDS, the challenge to business is clear. Given the impact that the HIV/AIDS epidemic has had on communities, business has to respond. The responses initially have been in addressing and safeguarding the business’s core activities through the protection of its own workers.

However, soon they realised the significance of other stake holders in influencing the HIV/AIDS impact on their operations. They have extended their responses to collaborate in wider preventive and educational initiatives. The motives have been both philanthropic and business minded and the scope has been local, national and even international.