Standard Bank, supporting New Start, went out to the public nation-wide to provide free HIV/AIDS testing. The public testing campaign was part of a drive to encourage staff to get tested that began last year and culminated on World Aids Day. Standard Bank pledged that for every employee who took the test, the bank would sponsor a test for a member of the general public.
"Standard Bank employees responded to this call with great enthusiasm and we were proud to see them take the step to learn their status and take control of their destinies," says Peter Philip, Head of Corporate Health at Standard Bank. "We are even prouder that they enabled others to also take that same step, and it was great to see the number of people who came to get tested thanks to our staff," he says.
The campaign proved a success because it proved that people are ready to know their status, and Standard Bank was able to exceed its target in terms of the number of people it had hoped to test. "We too testing to the public and we are glad that so many wanted to know their status," Philip says.
With South Africa having the highest incidence of HIV/AIDS in the world, it important for companies to make sure that they are doing all they can in the fight against the pandemic. Standard Bank has been heavily involved in HIV/AIDS-related campaigns such as the testing campaign, both internally and externally.
The bank's testing drive was especially relevant as it was responding to the government's call to South Africans to take responsibility for their own health as dealing the pandemic should not be the work of the government alone. Standard Bank was helping move people forward by helping them take that responsibility for their lives.
"We want people to understand that knowing your status is not the same as signing your own death warrant". When you know your status, you can make the right decisions about your life. It becomes a matter of self-preservation. If you are positive, you look after yourself by looking after your health, and if you are negative, you can take steps to ensure that you stay that way," says Philip.
"By embarking on campaigns such as this, we are giving people the resources they need to do the right thing. We are saying: 'we know that it starts with you. You need to want to know your status and make a difference in your life, but you are not alone - there I support out there, whether you need counselling or education or advice," says Philip.
