The GTZ Health Sector Programme and the management of Bamburi Cement Ltd have agreed to continue the very successful public private partnership project.

GTZ and Bamburi Cement Ltd have met several times in order to develop a new and more comprehensive joint project proposal. It is expected that the negotiation process will be finalised within the next six weeks and a contract can be signed to start project activities. The outline of the future project is as follows:

Workforce of Bamburi Cement Ltd. contractor companies including the transport sector expand their existing workplace programmes and increase their access to health promotion services in general and in particular to Malaria and HIV/AIDS prevention. Three communities, close to the Mombasa branch of Bamburi Cement Ltd., are included in project activities.

To achieve this aim, key public health problems and health promotion will be addressed by creating interactive processes and approaches, using a mix of communication channels in order to encourage and sustain positive and appropriate healthy behaviour to Bamburi Cement Ltd. contractor companies’ workforce, their families and neighbouring communities in cooperation with the Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation, the Kenya HIV and AIDS Business Council (KHBC), Baobab Trust and with Northern Star Foundation.

Special attention will be given to hard to reach transport workers of Bamburi contractor companies who are in particular vulnerable to sexually transmitted diseases in order to ensure their access to health promotion and health services. In order to achieve the objective and reach the transport workers, the transport contractor companies in Nairobi and Mombasa will be supported to develop and implement health promotion strategies.

The target groups are 500 contractor companies’ employees and their extended family members (3000) identified including approximately 500 truck drivers of contractor companies. Furthermore it is planned to provide health promotion services to approximately 100.000 people (adults and youth) in the targeted communities.

At the beginning of the project, baseline information will be collected and reported in order to investigate relevant data for the project start like health promotion needs of target groups, the level of knowledge they have on key health problems, their expressed health related needs and information regarding the availability of health services and successful communication channels in the target area. Based on report results, activities are planned in three components of the PPP project:

Component 1: Mainstreaming of Workplace Programme It is planned to extend and improve the existing “Supply Chain HIV/AIDS Workplace Programme” which was carried out in cooperation with GTZ and the Kenya HIV/AIDS Business Council to a comprehensive health promotion for Bamburi Cement Ltd. contractor companies’ workforce by:

• Identification of relevant health promotion topics including HIV/AIDS and occupational health for Bamburi Cement contractor companies in cooperation with the Kenya HIV/AIDS Business Council;
• Development and implementation of a strategy to improve existing HIV/AIDS workplace programmes of Bamburi Contractor Companies and incorporate relevant health promotion and occupational health topics;
• Further development of the existing “Mentorship Approach” of Bamburi Cement Ltd: in order to create a sustainable structure. This should provide support to contractor companies’ workplace programmes;
• The contractor companies will be encouraged to continue and expand their existing HIV/AIDS workplace programmes by addressing relevant health promotion / occupational health issues. Furthermore, they will be encouraged to introduce health insurance coverage for employees and their dependants.

Component 2: Tailor-made health promotion for truck drivers and bar maids
Since the beginning of 2010, Bamburi Cement Ltd. has started a partnership with Northern Star Foundation in order to provide medical services and VCT (Volunteer Counselling and Testing) to their truck drivers. Through the PPP project, it will be possible to broaden the approach, target also bar maids and incorporate comprehensive HIV/AIDS prevention and health promotion activities:

• Setup of a partner and stakeholder network in order to identify health promotion needs, plan and implement HIV/AIDS prevention, prevention of alcohol misuse and other relevant health topics for transport workers and bar maids in Mlolongo;
• Initiate capacity building and conduct various health promotion activities / campaigns;
• Provision of VCT and health care – including ARVs (Anti Retro-Viral Treatment)- in mobile clinic of Northern Star Foundation.

Component 3: Awareness creation in the communities
Bamburi Cement Ltd. has a long lasting partnership with Baobab Trust (Ngoni Community Clinic) and its activities in communities (Kisauni, Diani, Vipingo) in the neighbourhood of Bamburi’s Mombasa branch. The following activities are envisaged:

• Setup a supportive network of stakeholders and opinion leaders;
• Training of peer educators who will plan and conduct various health promotion campaigns;
• The activities will be implemented in three steps: In a pilot of first step activities will start in Kisauni and later on in two more steps implemented in Diani and Vipingo)

Through close cooperation with national and East-African business communities, the Kenya HIV/AIDS Business Council and East African Business Council and their communication tools (newsletter, symposium), continuous information sharing will be ensured in Kenya and the East African Community. It is planned to conduct an impact survey at the end of the project period.