Download May-June 2009 issue - Walvis Bay Corridor Group

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WALVIS BAY IDENTIFIED AS THE FIRST PILOT FOR THESAFE COMMUNITIES PROJECT8Walvis Bay has been identified as the first pilot for theSafe Communities Project in Namibia, being the thirdAfrican country to embrace this initiative. The purposeof this concept is to promote social stabilityamongst community members and to reduce thecrime rate, amongst others, which involves the communityactually taking the lead in this project. SafeCommunities concept has been developed by theWorld Health Organisation ( WHO ) and will be directedby Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Swedenin collaboration with the Municipality of Walvis Bay.With the increased volumes moving through the Portof Walvis Bay along the Walvis Bay Corridors, “ ithas become imperative to ensure that the businessand social environment in Walvis Bay provides thenecessary safe environment for community members..” , says Hippy Tjivikua, Project Manager for theSafe Trade Transport Corridors of the Walvis BayCorridor Group.With the Safe Community initiative the leading role isplayed by the community itself which means that thecommunity is involved in a well planned approach ofcarrying out this concept. Hippy further stated that,“ C reative methods of education and environmentalchange joined with appropriate legislation and enforcementare an important beginning for the safetyof the community. No single approach is sufficient forchanging existing behavior patterns. It is for this reasonthat the media, schools and companies can bevery powerful tools in heightening public awareness” .Korea, Bangladesh, Australia, New Zealand, Canada,the USA, and Colombia, and now recently inWalvis Bay.The Safe Communities concept began its formalexistence at the First World Conference on Accidentand Injury Prevention held in Stockholm, Swedenin September 1989. The Manifesto for SafeCommunities, the resolution of the conference,states that “ All human beings have an equal rightto health and safety ” . This is a fundamental aspectof the WHO Health for All Strategy and for theWHO Global Programme on Accident Preventionand Injury Control. This premise has led to communityaction around the world; actions leading toSafe Communities.The Safe Community initiative currently exist in SouthAfrica, Uganda, Sweden, Czech Republic, China,The leading trade route in southern Africa
THE WBCG HIV/AIDS HELP DESK DRIVES THEMESSAGE SAFE ALL THE WAYThe WBCG HIV/AIDS HELP DESK in its quest tofacilitate the implementation of comprehensive HIV/AIDS – Wellness workplace programmes conductedHIV/AIDS information sessions for employees fromsix ( 6 ) transport companies during the last twomonths. The sessions were conducted on site andhave attracted about 235 employees including truckdrivers. The awareness sessions were preceded byhalf day peer educators who received their first traininglast year. Peer educators are regarded as thebackbone of any workplace programme as they interactmore easily with their fellow colleagues at work.Thus, the help desk will continue to build their capacityand equip them with adequate and accurate HIV/AIDS related information and materials so that theycan in turn build the capacity of their peers at work.It is also apparent that employees spend much oftheir daily lives at work and therefore we believe thata considerable dosage of HIV/AIDS related informationspread at the workplace will keep the minds ofthe employees refreshed in terms of preventing infectionsand living positively with HIV. Therefore, thelikelihood that they will share this information withtheir families can also not be overruled.Companies that are at liberty of discussing the topicof HIV/AIDS at the workplace not only demonstratesa sense of caring for their most valuable assets butalso portraits a positive corporate image with a soundknowledge of business principles.The HIV/AIDS prevalence rate is considered to behigh in the transport sector, with migrant workerssuch as truck drivers being particularly at risk. Thereare currently no recorded statistics regarding theprevalence rate of HIV/AIDS within the transportsector, however, according to the Sentinel Surveyof 2008, “ The epidemic appears to be centeredaround pockets in the central, north, north east,west and south where mobile populations are mostlikely to take temporary residence as a rust of mining,tourism, agricultural and fishing activities andborder entry/exit points. ”Increased absenteeism, the loss of skilled workers,loss of tacit knowledge and reduced morale amongco-workers have a negative impact on the growthof business opportunities. In an effort to help reducethe accumulated costs and extent of the pandemic,the WBCG HIV/AIDS Help Desk with thefinancial support of the German Agency for TechnicalCooperation ( GTZ ) also provides managementtrainings tailored to those in managerial positions.Management support remains one of themost important elements and is critical to the successof an effective HIV/AIDS -Wellness workplaceprogramme in any organization.It is with this in mind, that the Walvis Bay CorridorGroup launched the HIV/AIDS Help Desk in an effortto facilitate the implementation of the comprehensiveworkplace programmes for the Namibiantransport industry. The challenge here goes tothose transport companies who still have not joinedthe approach, to seriously consider doing so nowand not to wait until the last minute before they realizehow serious the effects of this dreadful pandemicare.9The leading trade route in southern Africa
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Page 3 and 4: INCREASED BUSINESS CONFIDENCE ATTRA
Page 5 and 6: INCREASED CARGO VOLUMES ATTRACTSINT
Page 7: TRUCK STOPS TO IMPROVE TRANSPORT IN

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