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Being a young business Savanna is still looking for avenues to positively contribute to the communities in which it does business. Since 2006, the company has introduced an HIV management programme meant to help employees and their families cope with the deadly scourge. Once the programme is consolidated the company has plans to extend it to communities around it as way of giving back to its customers and consumers.
Savanna HIV Programme
Savanna Tobacco realizes the fact that the HIV virus has no cure. Having realized the prevalence of the disease in the country and especially among working class age groups, the organisation encourages all its employees to voluntarily get tested for the disease. If their test results indicate that they are positive, they can approach the company Medical Doctor (at no charge to the employee) for further counselling and anti-retroviral treatment. In addition to this programme, Savanna Tobacco also carries out a number of awareness campaigns addressing several themes among them abstinence, faithfulness in relationships (one faithful partner) as well as continuous voluntary counselling and testing. Through these campaigns, a number of our employees have so far voluntarily gone for counselling and testing and the company is proud with high levels of awareness and healthy living among its staff members. Once an employee has tested positive, the company has put in place a scheme that enables such employees to access anti-retroviral drugs as part of their medical aid cover benefits. The Anti-retroviral drugs access programme has been designed to ensure that the employee’s confidentiality is safeguarded. Maintaining high levels of confidentiality has also helped in making this whole scheme acceptable amongst employees and their immediate families.
The company holds the belief that people living with HIV can live long and happy lives if the condition is properly managed. It is also its conviction that healthy employees are the recipe for maximising stakeholder value in the business.
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