Botswana Business Coalition on AIDS (BBCA) was established in 2004 by the business community under the auspices of then BOCCIM (now Business Botswana). It was deliberately structured and organized on the basis of the implementation of Multi-Sectoral HIV/AIDS pandemic response.  BBCA was designated as the organization to co-ordinate and provide support to the Private Sector response, developing and implementing quality HIV/AIDS programmes, including the development and implementation of Policies on HIV/AIDS in the workplace.

As the National HIV response evolved, BBCA now provides broad health and wellness at workplace services within the private sector including training and workplace policy development services. BBCA through its private sector partners currently Chairs Botswana’s Workplace Health and Wellness Committee at the Ministry of Labour Productivity and Skills Development.

In terms of our role in COVID-19 response, the organisation is contracted by NAHPA to implement COVID-19 and Condom Programming initiative. BBCA’s priority in the face of this pandemic is to reduce the spread of the disease and mitigate the impact of COVID -19 on workers and the public by implementing appropriate prevention and control measure in the workplace. We believes a multi-sectoral response is key to COVID-19

Since 2005, BBCA has been working with International Labour Organisation (ILO) and Ministry of labour Productivity and Skills Development to implement ILO Workplace Code of Practice on HIV/AIDS and we. Similarly in 2020, through the Ministry of Health and Wellness, BBCA has adapted ILO-AU COVID-19 at Workplace in Africa Guidelines.

As BBCA we take pride in being the leading condom distribution point to the private sector using the Public-Private Sector (PPP) model since 2018. The decision followed an outcry by Private Sector due to shortage of condom supply at their workplace, both at district and national level. What happens is that, BBCA orders Condoms from the Central Medical Stores, then companies order and collect from BBCA Head office using their supply chain logistics including transport to make sure condoms are always available in their work place, and accessed by all workers at their convenience.

We are currently servicing over 300 companies with an estimate of 25 to 30 companies collecting condoms in a month. Furthermore we reach around 50 000 employees through different companies who collect condoms. 90% of our condom distribution goes to the retail sector, followed by the tourism sector (which has been greatly affected by Covid-19) then we have mining, parastatals, construction, education and transport etc