African Comprehensive HIV/ AIDS Partnerships (ACHAP)

In 2000, the Government of Botswana, The Merck Company Foundation/Merck & Co., Inc., and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation established the African Comprehensive HIV/ AIDS Partnerships (ACHAP) to support and enhance Botswana’s response to the HIV and AIDS epidemic through a comprehensive approach to HIV and AIDS prevention, care, treatment and support. The Merck Company Foundation and the Gates Foundation each have committed a total of US$106.5 million to the partnership. In addition, Merck is donating ARV medicines to Botswana’s national ARV treatment program — known as Masa (or “dawn”) — for the partnership’s duration. While reducing the impact of HIV and AIDS will not happen overnight, results to date from Botswana are promising.

Blueprint for Business Action

To help small- and medium-sized companies develop and implement a comprehensive HIV and AIDS workplace program, Merck launched a Blueprint for Business Action on HIV and AIDS in 2007. Designed by an editorial board of African HIV and AIDS experts, and with input from more than 10 national business coalitions against HIV and AIDS, this free, simple and user-friendly tool is based on seven practical modules. Available in both French and English, the Blueprint includes an interactive economic modeling tool that enables companies to visualize the economic impact of HIV and AIDS on their business before taking the most appropriate action.

In developing the Blueprint, Merck also drew on our experiences in combating HIV and AIDS and our work with more than a dozen companies in Africa to develop sustainable and effective workplace programs. In addition, the tool reflects the experience and best practices of various stakeholders such as UNAIDS, the International Labor Organization, the World Bank, non-governmental organizations and companies that have successfully initiated HIV and AIDS workplace programs.

Mr. Emmanuel Alhassan, Special Advisor, Public/Private Partnerships, National Action Committee on AIDS, Nigeria, and member of the Blueprint’s editorial board, said, “This blueprint provides modules for business of all sizes with clear, crisp and concise action points on HIV and AIDS programming.” Recently, MSD South Africa entered into a partnership with NAFCOC (National African Federated Chamber of Commerce and Industry) to address HIV and AIDS in the workplace. NAFCOC is an organization which promotes and facilitates the development of business in South Africa.

The Blueprint has been launched to date in seven sub-Saharan African countries.

Teaming with DHL to Deliver Medicines

Merck and DHL announced an agreement in 2004 to team up to expand access to critically needed HIV and AIDS medicines in countries throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Under this agreement, DHL is currently delivering Merck’s HIV and AIDS medicines at cost by air express to designated treatment centers in 35 countries. The partnership combines the core capabilities of the two companies to ensure rapid, secure and flexible supply for the benefit of patients in Africa.

Working to Improve the Health of Young People in Uganda

Since 2005, Merck has supported the African Medical & Research Foundation (AMREF) in its efforts to improve health of young people living with HIV and AIDS in the Nakasangola District of Northern Uganda. To date, AMREF, through support from Merck and other international donors, has provided community outreach training to:

• Twenty-four facility health workers (nurses, midwives) to deliver sexual and reproductive health, guidance/counseling, and youth-friendly services.
• More than 360 local council and opinion leaders reaching three sub-counties near Nakasangola with HIV and AIDS information, education and communication.
• More than 360 student peer educators in 60 schools, working to empower and equip students with factual HIV information and to create awareness.
• More than 225 members of out-of-school youth health clubs, providing HIV and AIDS education through youth friendly drama, poetry, music and dance.
• Fifty pre-school teachers, providing training to help mainstream orphans into the school systems.

African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF)

In 2008, Merck supported AMREF's efforts to scale up HIV and AIDS intervention in Uganda where HIV prevalence among young women in Kawempe Division is 24 percent. AMREF believes that addressing poverty among young women is a key factor in reducing the incidence of HIV and AIDS. This project provides health services to all poor people in the community, while targeting young women. The health services are free and include family planning, VCT (voluntary counseling and testing), diagnosis, management of STIs (sexually transmitted infections) and opportunistic infections, and psychosocial therapy. In addition, vocational training aims to build the capacity of 140 young women and girls by giving them the skills necessary for gaining employment or starting their own small businesses.

The Regional AIDS Initiative of Southern Africa (RAISA)

The Regional AIDS Initiative of Southern Africa (RAISA), a project of Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) seeks to strengthen the capacity of in-country partners to respond to the HIV and AIDS pandemic by providing the building blocks to develop programs and coordinate efforts. Through the expertise and in-country relationships of VSO’s volunteer professionals, RAISA works with government institutions and civil society organizations to provide effective prevention, treatment, care and advocacy support for people affected by HIV and AIDS, and to mitigate the personal, social and economic impact of the pandemic. This regional initiative works in Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. RAISA uses its expertise to plan and coordinate rational and appropriate activities that are aimed directly at helping patients living with HIV and AIDS cope with the disease. These coordinated activities highlight the unique aims of RAISA and provide evidence of an immediate positive impact. Participants take home with them new practical skills, and are empowered to manage the complex HIV and AIDS environment in the region with hope and best practices for positive living. In 2008 Merck helped RAISA launch the 'Glove Campaign' in recognition of the urgent need for clean gloves for women caregivers to reduce the spread of HIV infection as well as other infections, thereby contributing to the reduction of burden of care. The impact of the pandemic on women is largely a hidden crisis, resulting in unpaid and unrecognized labor by poor women and girls who care for the sick and dying.  Therefore, RAISA has committed itself to a global advocacy strategy that aims to reduce the burden of HIV and AIDS on women and girls. The campaign is aimed at raising awareness amongst policy makers of the plight of the women and girls who work tirelessly to alleviate a burden that is the responsibility of the government/public health system.

University of KwaZulu-Natal Health Economics and HIV/AIDS Research Division Durban (HEARD)

Since 2006 Merck has supported HEARD's research to compare individual motivations with external factors that influence participation rates in voluntary counseling and testing services. The study also will estimate the economic costs of low uptake of the voluntary counseling and testing services offered across two different sites within one organization. HEARD will share research results with private sector program managers and scientists in developing countries, through publications and presentations.

HIV/AIDS Co-ordination, University of Cape Town (HAICU)

Merck and HAICU-University of Cape Town and TSiBA, a Xhosa Tertiary School of Business Administration, have been in partnership since 2004 to implement an HIV and AIDS curriculum for students in underserved communities in Cape Town, South Africa. HAICU collaborates with TSIBA to implement an HIV and AIDS curriculum for 160 students from Zola Business School in Khayelitsha, in collaboration with the Department of Education.

High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

Merck has provided support to UNHCR since 2004 in support of their Strategic Plan for HIV, AIDS and Refugees.  Support has focused on strengthening HIV and AIDS interventions in refugee operations in Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe. In 2008, UNHCR scaled up HIV prevention programs in partnership with The International Red Cross. Together, they identified and developed plans for HIV prevention within the established HIV health care program in Malawi, serving refugees living with HIV.

The content on this page was last modified on September 15, 2009.

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