AIDS workshop is a success
Daniel Mecoamere... "The fallacy of AIDS being a White man's disease is no longer. Anyone can be infected so if she doesn't want to use a condom, it's up to you. But if it's up to me, I won't go in there."		Driver Ernest Mxumo... "This seminar was very well presented and made me more aware of the problems concerning AIDS".

There are times in life when you see something going on around you and you think 'this is just so right'.

I got that feeling while sitting in a small room on the 5th floor of the Carlton Centre in central Johannesburg recently. Also in the room were about 25 staff members - mostly drivers - of Drivers & More, one of the country's leading recruiters of driving and logistics personnel. And we were all listening to three people up front spelling out the facts, figures and other information on HIV/AIDS.

This was the second of the HIV/AIDS seminars organised by FleetWatch and made possible by Engen which has adopted a most commendable corporate citizenship stance towards the trucking industry by partnering FleetWatch in this project. Once again, we lift out hats in tribute to Engen for adopting this proactive stance.

We also lift out hats to Drivers & More for availing themselves of the opportunity to educate their staff on HIV/AIDS. When the company heard we were hosting seminars, they were first to contact us and we commend them on this highly responsible approach. The first seminar in Kempton Park had 51 people attending - including one client from Supermove. This second saw around 25 people there.

Holding hands to make a difference from left to right: Kim Macnab, Drivers & More brand manager; Lorinda Stoltz, (FleetWatch advertising manager - well, half of her), Ernest Ncube (facilitator); Nikki Mills, regional manager, Drivers & More; Daniel Mecoamere (facilitator) and Charlotte Ingram, director HIV Management Solutions.

I'm not sure if there's anything in this but is it because the management of Drivers & More are women that they pay more attention to the damage HIV/AIDS can cause to individuals and companies? I reckon this is a definite factor because we have to keep cajoling and trying to convince - over and over and over again - male management that they better look at this issue or their companies stand the potential of dying. Many don't give two hoots.

Giving the message up front was Charlotte Ingram, director of HIV Management Solutions, with whom FleetWatch has entered into a strategic alliance in terms of running the seminars. Charlotte is a medical doctor with a herd of degrees behind her name - MBBCh(Wits), MMED(Haem), FCPath(Haem), MBA(Wits). Not on her card is the degree LK(FleetWatch). That stands for Lekker Chick - a degree conferred on her by FleetWatch for her total dedication to fighting this disease.

HIV Management Solutions is an independent syndicate group affiliated to the Wits Health Consortium (Pty) Ltd and promotes HIV awareness in business creating learning opportunities for businesses in developing policies and strategies to minimise both direct and indirect financial risks relating to HIV/AIDS within the workplace. Thus the name Management Solutions.

Alongside her was colleague Daniel Mecoamere, a man who, like Charlotte, also has a passion for fighting the spread of this disease and whose presentation skills would leave Dale Carnegie clamouring for more. His presentation promoted interactivity which led to many questions being asked from the floor - all of which were answered.

Also upfront was Ernest Ncube. The messages he imparts about living with the disease are as positive as he is HIV positive. A delightful man, Ernest has dedicated his time to educating people on living with HIV, something he has been doing since testing positive at the young age of 19-years-old. That was in 1994.

Ernest Ncube..... "Aids is infecting the rich and the poor, Whites and Blacks, young and old. If we all work together, we can make a difference."

I admired his way of getting right to the point by holding up an orange and asking the audience what the skin around the orange was for. "It's to hold in the juices and make sure the orange stays fresh and sweet. And that's what a condom is for." Good point.

Both seminars were well accepted and most appreciated by management and staff of Drivers & More. More important, however, is that both have imparted vital knowledge which, to put it bluntly, could mean the difference between life and death - of individuals as well as companies.

DRIVER. Like most of the drivers, Richard Mashao found the seminar most informative. Others commented that more seminars like this should be held around the industry.

Take HIV/AIDS seriously.
Drivers & More has - and it is going to come out a winner.

Patrick O'Leary

 

 

 

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