Johannesburg. The South African Breweries (SAB) has distributed a total of 19.3-million condoms to more than 11 800 local taverns across South Africa since the launch of the programme three years.
Project Promote, the condom distribution programme uses SAB’s infrastructure, delivery trucks and extensive distribution network to deliver condoms to taverns each month.
The 19.3-million condoms already distributed by SAB means that more than 38 500 new HIV/Aids infections have been averted. This is according to a calculation by a John Stover (founder and president of Futures Institute, USA) study, which claims that for every 500 condoms distributed, at least one infection is averted.
Project Promote is a public private partnership between the National Department of Health, the South African Business Coalition on HIV/Aids (SABCOHA) and the Society of Family Health. The company was approached to become a core strategic partner by SABCOHA after government increased its condom distribution targets as a method to decrease HIV/Aids infections.
SAB is able to extend distribution reach to non-traditional outlets, namely taverns.
“SAB’s commitment to helping bring social change in South African communities is aligned to government’s aim to reduce the impact that HIV/Aids is having on the country. It therefore makes perfect sense that we contribute to the work being done to achieve this aim, ” says Mpho Sadiki, SAB Head Sustainability and Transformation.
Taverns each receive 400 condoms per month which are made available to customers. Positive feedback has been received by tavern owners with many requesting additional stock from SAB during scheduled deliveries.
In order to test the feasibility of SAB distributing condoms to customers, a three-month pilot was undertaken at three of its depots in Gauteng from August to October 2010. More than 6-million condoms were distributed to taverns in parts of the province.
Following the success of the pilot, 39 of SAB’s 40 depots across South Africa were registered at Primary Distribution Sites (PDS).
