Overview The Ethiopian Business Coalition Against HIV/AIDS (EBCA) Abeje Tesfaye (MA)

1. Overview The Ethiopian Business Coalition Against HIV/AIDS (EBCA) Abeje Tesfaye (MA) Programme Manger

2. Presentation Outline • Basic Fact on AIDS • Impact of AIDS on Business • What EBCA Do • EBCA Values and Strategies • EBCA Partners • EBCA Services and Success • Challenges and Lesson Learned • Way Forward

3. Basic Facts • Ethiopian Summery • Number of people living with the virus –1.3 million • People newly infected with HIV in 2005/6 – 128,922 • HIV prevalence in Urban – 10.5% in Rural 1.94% • Addis Ababa Summery • Number of people living with the virus – 207, 270 • People infected with HIV in 2005/6 – 20,940 • HIV prevalence – 11.72% • No of AIDS orphans – 109,130 • Service users in Addis Ababa • VCT users – 222,645 in 158 sites, • PMTCT users – 27,564 in 35 sites • ART users – 14,474 in 42 sites

4. Impact of AIDS on Business

5. HIV/AIDS and Workplace in Ethiopia • Over 1.3 million Ethiopians between the age 15-64 years in the labour force were estimated to live with HIV/AIDS in 2003 (ILO Esti. ) • The ILO estimates suggest that in Ethiopia, the economy lost over US 234 million (7%) annually from 1992-2002 because of labour loss • Workplace provides the key venue for initiating effective programmes of prevention and care related to HIV/AIDS and protect the skills and experiences losses due to HIV/AIDS.

6. What EBCA Do • EBCA come in to being when local business leaders came together in November 2004. • 10 of the most powerful local businesses associations signed MOUs with the EBCA. • Goal: Protect the business community from the threat of HIV/AIDS in collaboration with partners at all levels. • Roles: To provide community leadership, Serve members, Serve businesspeople and vulnerable groups in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

7. EBCA Values • Holistic and comprehensive approach; • United approach, where businesspeople at all levels come together; • Based on shared knowledge, expertise and best practice; • Businesspeople themselves play the leading role in shaping the response; • Efficiency in the human and financial resources; • Full participation of PLWHA and vulnerable groups; • Management understand more about the disease; and • Stop discrimination & stigma.

8. EBCA Strategies • The major strategy was HIV/AIDS mainstreaming in businesses through • Bringing together businesses and partners with the EBCA, • Assessment of HIV/AIDS in the businesses, • Information and experience exchange and • Technical capacity building for HIV/AIDS program development in companies.

9. EBCA Partners • Members: More than 108 member and collaborating business Companies • Funding Partners: World Bank Institute (WBI), Action Aid Ethiopia, Initiative Africa, DKT Ethiopia, UNAIDS, VSO Ethiopia, German Technical Cooperation (GTZ), UNCIEF, Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs • Implementing partners National HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Office, National Partnership Forum on AIDS, Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, ILO, business associations (e,g, Employers Federation and Chambers of Commerce), community organizations and others. • Regional and Global Partners ARCAN, PABC, GBC and etc

10. EBCA Services EBCA provide and learn from companies experience: • Knowledge: Regular information, experience sharing and other events on HIV/AIDS. • Support: Trainings and consultations to carryout HIV/AIDS activities for your business. • Networks: Connections to HIV/AIDS resources and services in Ethiopia and Africa. • Promotion: Opportunities to promote the HIV/AIDS actions of your company

11. EBCA Successes • Mobilized the business sector and increased membership from 12 in 2004 to 62 at the end of 2006. • Our interventions are guided by an action framework and road map for HIV/AIDS control, which has evolved through local consultations and according to best practice • Our HIV/AIDS report card helps businesses to evaluate their HIV/AIDS response, according to targets for workplace program development. • Member companies moving from information to service provisions e.g. VCT service, OVC and PLHA care, support tasks, created local referral and networking system to facilitate ART provisions, • Going beyond the workplace- Companies extend support PLHA and their families, PLWHA are coming out to teach their colleagues

12. Cont… • EBCA chair the business sub sector in the NPF on AIDS, • Trained 262 workers from 41 companies on leadership, resource Mobilization, policy and clinical aspects of AIDS (only in 2006). • Managed to take part in the 16th International AIDS Conference in Toronto, Canada and recognized for our leadership commitment. • Our 6 HIV/AIDS modules continue to guide on how to initiate and frame workplace HIV/AIDs programmes and activities. • EBCA task force continue to deal with capacity need assessment and technical, information and experience sharing related to HIV/AIDS. • Promoted best practices and leadership experiences of member companies on a well distributed weekly local business newspaper.

13. EBCA Challenges • Internal-EBCA • Limited staffing, funding and material base • External-Members • Limited capacity to invest on HIV/AIDS • High turn over of technical staff • Problems of doing what was committed • problems of inconsistency • the isolation of infected persons • Partners- perception problem • Absence of ‘strong business sector’ • Resource gap • Policy loopholes to the business sector

14. Actions Taken • Diversifying the resource base of EBCA and broaden membership and partnership menu to share resources, experiences and technical experts • Continuously advocate and work with business mangers, government sector offices and trade union representatives • Target technical support at management and trade union levels to ensure the active participation of workers at all levels. • Acknowledge, award and disseminate information on best practices, exemplary leadership and organizational responses.

15. Lessons Learnt • With basic support, local businesses can be mobilized to take ownership of their HIV/AIDS response. • Identifying local champions helped mobilise community leadership. • Workplace events have helped encourage local businesses to do better on HIV/AIDS, and create a sense of ownership to the company and generate demand for EBCA’s services. • Assessment of HIV/AIDS enabled the companies to understand HIV/AIDS impacts and how to plan for HIV/AIDS, as well as monitor their HIV/AIDS response.

16. Way Forward • Expanding our membership and sources income • Existing government policy on HIV/AIDS and NPF • Improvement on Ethiopia's post election crisis and return of development partners-funding opportunities • Partnership with GTZ will assist to develop EBCA’s capacity and member companies • We believe the commitment of business in the fight against HIV/AIDS is a Win-Win game • Experience will led us to excellence!!!

17. Thank you!!!