COVID-Blog

UNAIDS collaborated with the Swaziland Business Coalition on HIV and AIDS (SWABCHA), the Ministry of Health and the National Emergency Response Council on HIV and AIDS in Eswatini, to produce a video that creates awareness among the work force on COVID-19 prevention.

The video, which will be aired through private sector channels and social media platforms, is one of the tools that will be used in the country to ensure that the work force is reached with relevant information on the prevention of the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace. It provides useful information on safety measures to take in the workplace, including conducting virtual meetings and hygiene measures to take when at work.

“The COVID-19 pandemic is a difficult time for all of us and the health and safety of our workforce is a priority,” says Thobile Dlamini of SWABCHA. “Now more than ever, we must do what the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization are telling us to do,” she says.

UNAIDS in Eswatini has had a long-standing relationship with SWABCHA, an independent, non-profit organization that brings together private sector companies, unions, government, civil society and development partners to ensure an effective national private sector response to HIV.

Over the years, UNAIDS has provided technical and financial support to SWABCHA for several projects, including its wellness forums, the development and review of strategic plans, expanding HIV testing and treatment among seasonal workers and documentation of the private sector response. This focus has now widened to include the response to the COVID-19 outbreak.