- Conducted a Knowledge Attitude and Practices (KAP) study
- Conducted actuarial studies on detailed costs of providing ART and appropriate funding vehicle
- Conducted an Institutional Audit
- Developed an HIV/AIDS Strategy
- Developed and issued a Policy on Stakeholder Engagement
- Conducted the 2nd KAP study
- Registered an ART Trust Fund to manage the provision of ART and related costs including monitoring costs
- Developed an AIDS Management System (AMS) in partnership with NOSA
- Debswana case study published in the UNAIDS Best Practise series
Pre-Investment Testing
Following the results of the prevalence study in 1999, the Company adopted a policy of testing all scholarship and apprenticeship candidates effective from 2000.
This policy was adopted in view of the high prevalence levels in the Company and the fact that the apprenticeship and scholarship schemes are the main sources of skilled manpower for the Company. Apart from safe guarding the Company’s investment, the policy is seen as an incentive for young people to remain HIV negative.
The exercise meets all the requirements of informed consent as well as pre and post test counselling.
Evaluation of HIV/AIDS Policies and Programmes
A Company wide evaluation of current HIV policies and programmes was undertaken at all Debswana operations. The evaluation, which included a Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) study, was done in order to provide input into future prevention and education strategies.
The KAP study
The study showed that knowledge among employees was quite high at 94% but a significant percentage (26 – 46%) of both men and women respondents still maintained multiple partners and practised unsafe sex as determined by condom use. Development of appropriate programmes to address behaviour change was clearly the direction to take going forward.
HIV/AIDS Institutional Audit
To obtain a measure of the Company liabilities and future costs, by examining the implications of the increase in morbidity and mortality to the Company.
One of the key outcomes of the audit was the development of guidelines for the identification and analysis of critical posts, i.e. those jobs core to the diamond mining and processing business. These critical posts were to be targeted for specific risk reduction strategies including training and replacement strategies.
An Actuarial study
To determine the feasibility of providing ART. Although major findings showed that the financial cost of providing ART exceeded the cost saving to the Company, and that taking such a move could not be justified on financial grounds, Debswana believed that provision of ART was a business imperative because it would result in extended productive lives of employees