Message from AmCham Chairman

10 Facts You Should Know about HIV/AIDS

The Government of Singapore: Approach and Response to HIV/AIDS

• Government Programme
• HPB Overview
• HPB Education Programmes

Business and HIV/AIDS – The Business Case

Singapore Resource Listing

Regional & Int’l Resource Listing

Sample HR Policy Statements

• Levi Strauss
• Nike - Thailand
• Shell - Thailand
• Std. Chartered

Sample Workplace Communications

Success Stories

Current Statistics for Singapore

• A month-long AIDS awareness campaign is held every December in conjunction with the World AIDS Day on 1^st December. The mass media is the main vehicle in driving the AIDS education messages to the general public. Television commercials, radio commercials and information capsules, print advertisements and editorials on various newspapers and magazine are the main avenues used to bring across the messages.
• Other public education efforts include collaborations with government agencies National Environment Agency - to put up AIDS awareness posters and stickers in public places and toiler stickers carrying AIDS awareness messages in male public toilets and food establishments.
• Collaborations with popular nightspots to increase AIDS awareness, e.g. putting up posters and conducting AIDS awareness activities.
• Collaboration with and various community organization to increase AIDS awareness through various public activities - ferry operators to put up AIDS materials at ferry terminals or in the ferries themselves.

• Workplaces, especially those Companies involved in the service and/ sales industries and , manufacturing industry, and the cleaning and labourer industries are encouraged approached to conduct AIDS education programs through a fully subsidized education package offered by HPB. Each programme package includes talks, exhibitions, video screenings and the materials distribution of print materials. Post-talk evaluation forms are given out to the audience to get feedback on the clarity and usefulness of the talk. These programmes are carried throughout the year.
• In order to maximize outreach to workplaces, HPB collaborates with Collaboration with the Department of Sexually-transmitted Diseases Control (DSC) clinic to provide speakers for the talks.
• In order to better reach workplaces, collaborations with Workers’ unions (such as National Trades Union Congress [NTUC]) are sought. NTUC will be organizing a series of AIDS education seminars for their union leaders and health facilitators with the main focuses on the HIV/AIDS situation in Singapore and the importance of AIDS education from a business standpoint. HPB’s main collaborative effort will be on the education component whenever NTUC needs it.

• A travel kit has been developed to reach out to male travelers intending to buy sex overseas as a form of outreach to male travelers who go to neighbouring regions for paid sex. The kit consists of basic toiletries, an such as toothbrush, toothpaste and comb and AIDS prevention information booklet, together with a condom and a packet of lubricant gel.
• HPB is currently collaboration with travel agencies and ferry ticket sellers to distribute the travel kits.
• Aid in the distribution of kits to the intended target group (males aged 40 to 65 traveling alone or in all-male groups). Each collaborating partner will receive between 150-300 travel kits per month (depending on demand).
• The kit will be given to the male traveler at point of purchase whereby he is requested to fill in a postcard sized form asking for information such as age, race and destination. The collaborating partner will collect all these cards and send them back to HPB at the end of each month. The cards serve as a form of evaluation and audit.
• Feedback from collaborating partners will be sought to fine tune this project.
• Such male travelers are also reached through targeted messages at the workplace. AIDS awareness programmes where work-related travel is very common. Dangers associated with commercial sex are stressed.

• In collaboration with uniformed groups such as the the Singapore Civil Defense Force, Singapore Police Force and Singapore Armed Forces, to carry out AIDS education programs are conducted throughout the year.
• AIDS prevention messages are developed specifically for the uniformed groups to increase effectiveness in the form of talks, video screening and distribution of print materials. These programmes coincide with the new intakes of recruits.
• Other collaborating uniformed groups are the Singapore Police Force (SPF) and the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). Resource materials (exhibition structures and panels) targeting NS men have been developed, produced and loaned on a permanent basis to these groups. These materials are circulated around the various units on a year-long basis according to a prearranged schedule. AIDS awareness posters have been produced specifically for SAF. They have been distributed to the different units to be put up.

• To target the foreign worker population, HPB collaborates  with the Ministry of Manpower to screen AIDS prevention videos and distribute AIDS education materials at pre-employment briefings, registration points and during its Foreign Workers’ Orientation Programme Training.
• A bimonthly video screening of the video "No Cure for AIDS" is conducted at Weld Road (where free movies for the foreign work population are screened weekly) there is a weekly free screening of movie for foreign workers by SPF). This video is which is produced by HPB, provides information on how HIV/AIDS is transmitted and the effective use of condoms. It is available in English, Chinese, Malay, Tamil, Thai and Bengali. Where possible, Action For AIDS will provide Tamil speaking volunteers to holds a short Q&A sessions after the screening and distributes AIDS education materials in the form of a comic book (available in all six languages mentioned above). 
• Collaboration with SPF to put up AIDS exhibition panels at Crime Prevention shows organized for foreign workers. There is an HPB officer present to handle queries. Comic books in the appropriate languages are included in the goodies bags given out to all who turn up for the show.
• In collaboration with four foreign workers’ hostels, print materials (comics and posters) are distributed regularly and screening of  the video "No Cure For AIDS" are held. The feasibility of conducting talks in the evenings at the hostels is being explored.

NEW – Free talks on HIV/AIDS in the workplace by HPB

The Health Promotion Board (HPB) is concerned over the high risk behaviors adopted by some in the Singapore workforce. To help companies reach out to their employees, they are pleased to introduce a specially tailored educational talk on HIV/AIDS for employees in workplaces. This would help Singaporean and foreign professionals and workers learn how they can protect themselves against the disease.

 

The talk will be carried out by qualified medical and health professionals and aim to educate participants on the modes of transmission, dangers of high risk lifestyles and behaviors, and the consequences of HIV infection. The talk will also provide a safe, comfortable and non-discriminatory platform to address queries on HIV/AIDS from participants.

 

To encourage participation from companies, these 1-hour talks will be fully sponsored by HPB. As funds are limited, you are encouraged to sign up early.

Should you need more information, please call Eunice Yong of the HPB at 6435 3055, Adrian Heok of the HPB at 6435 3177 or Joyce Odom of AmCham on jodom@amcham.org.sg  or visit http://www.hpb.gov.sg/hpb/default.asp?pg_id=1391