Posted on July 30, 2012

Chevron Launches Partnership to Reduce HIV Transmissions in Africa

Energy giant Chevron has announced a new partnership to combat mother-to-child transmission of HIV in Nigeria, Angola, and South Africa.

The Fortune 100 company will work with D.C.-based Pact, the Business Leadership Council for a Generation Born HIV Free in New York City, mothers2mothers in Cape Town, South Africa, and the Geneva-based Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to address the challenges associated with eradicating HIV among newborns. The commitment, which was announced at the 2012 International AIDS Conference last week, was made as part of a $20 million pledge by the company at the United Nations High Level Meeting on AIDS in 2011 to support a global plan to eliminate new HIV infections among children by 2015 and keep their mothers alive.

With support from Chevron, Pact will work to build the capacity of civil society organizations working to expand prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) practices in Nigeria's Bayelsa State, while BLC will work with the Nigerian government to develop and implement models for accelerated PMTCT delivery and mothers2mothers will lay the groundwork for establishing its Mentor Mother model in the country. In addition, the Global Fund will work to advance PMTCT programs targeting Angola and South Africa.

Chevron has supported PMTCT efforts in the fight against the global HIV/AIDS pandemic since 1986. "As a company, we depend on a healthy society and healthy workforce," said Rhonda Zygocki, executive vice president of policy and planning for the company. "With HIV/AIDS disproportionately affecting women in Africa, it is critical that we come together in the fight against this disease. At Chevron, we recognize prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV as both a critical intervention for the families of our employees and the communities where they work, as well as a realistic approach to the elimination of HIV entirely."