Southern African Railways Association (SARA) is requesting funding to implement its regional HIV/AIDS policy across member railways. The funding would support establishing voluntary counseling and testing centers, training counselors and peer educators, providing basic nutrition assistance and subsidized antiretroviral drugs. The goal is to manage human resources costs for railway administrations by reducing mortality and illness among railway employees and their families due to HIV/AIDS.

1. SOUTHERN AFRICAN RAILWAYS ASSOCIATION
SARA HIV/AIDS PROPOSAL
FOR SUBMISSION TO
REGIONAL HIV/AIDS PROGRAM
USAID/SOUTH AFRICA
RAILWAY MAP OF SARA MEMBERS
RAILWAY MAP OF SARA MEMBERS
KENYA
CONGO
MOMBASA
KINSHASA
DRC
TANZANIA DAR-ES-SALAAM
LUANDA
ANGOLA
LOBITO
MALAWI
ZAMBIA MOCAMBIQUE
NAC ALA
LUSAK A
BLANTYRE
HAR ARE
VICTORIA FALLS ZIMBABWE
NAMIBIA BEIRA
PLUMTREE
WALVISB AAI BOTSWANA BEITBRIDGE
WINDHOEK
GABORONE
JOHANNESBURG
LÜDERITZ MAPUTO
SWAZILAND
RICHARDS BAY
LESOTHO
SOUTH AFRICA DURBAN
SALD ANHA EAST LONDON
CAPE TOWN PORT ELIZABETH
TOGETHER WE ARE BETTER
JUNTOS SOMOS MELHOR
ENSEMBLE NOUS FERONS MIEUX
SARA REGIONAL SECRETARIAT
PHONE: +263-4-736777
67 FIFE AVENUE FAX: +263-4-736813
HARARE, ZIMBABWE
WEBSITE: http://www.sararail.org

2. HIV/AIDS PROPOSAL FOR SOUTHERN AFRICAN RAILWAYS ASSOCIATION
Summary
Southern African Railways Association (SARA) is in the process of implementing its
regional HIV/AIDS policy in its member railways. SARA is requesting for funding for
setting up of Voluntary Counselling and Testing centres in each member railway, training of
counsellors, peer educators and basic nutrition and supply of subsidized Antiretroviral drugs.
Organisation Information
In the South African Development Community (SADC) transportation of goods plays a
significant role in the regional economy. If transportation costs do not change to become
more competitive, regional growth will be compromised, and ultimately, poverty alleviation
will be jeopardized.
To address these issues, the Southern African Railway Association (SARA) was formed in
1996 as an advocacy group for a sustainable, fair, surface transport policy in the SADC
region. Members include 13 companies and organizations owning railway infrastructure and
facilities, or providing or operating railway services in southern Africa. SARA’s vision is to
achieve a cost effective, regionally integrated seamless and predictable railway transport
service. This calls for the rail industry to improve its performance so as to meet the demands
on the services. The performance of the sector is affected by morbidity, mortality and ill
health retirement of its human resources. The loss of skilled and experienced labour within
the industry has proved to be detrimental, as flows of goods and people are interrupted or
discontinued. Replacement of highly skilled workers such as train drivers, shunters and
technically skilled is not easy and may also result in a decline in services rendered. HIV/AIDs
pandemic not only affect the rail workers directly but indirectly through taking time off to
attend funerals or to care for sick family members.
The costs of the HIV/AIDs epidemic will be felt throughout the workforce. In the region
railway administrations are responsible for paying a total wage bill that includes basic wage
provision for health care, pensions, insurance, transport and housing. The replacement costs
of labour will vary depending on the qualifications required for a specific operation, the level
of skills employed and the availability of labour. If suitable labour is not available then
training may be required. Key employees for example, train drivers, and technical operators
are difficult to replace and expensive to train and are key personnel responsible for sustaining
core businesses. Railway administrations bear the costs of training personnel and most
training is in-house or through training boards to meet accreditation requirements. Losing
such employees due to HIV/AIDs and related diseases has had adverse effects on the rail
industry not only in terms of productivity losses but also in terms of investment losses.
To address the HIV/AIDs pandemic SARA is in the process of developing a regional
HIV/AIDS Policy framework for implementation by its members. The policy is scheduled for
tabling and adoption at the SARA Board meeting in May 2007.

3. Project Description
The purpose of the HIV/AIDs Policy is to ensure a consistent and equitable approach by
SARA members in the prevention of HIV/AIDs among employees and their families and to
the management of HIV/AIDs including the care and support of employees and their
dependencies living with HIV/AIDs. SARA’s HIV/Policy has been developed in consultation
with individual railways and Southern African Development Community (SADC) policies
and is based on International Labour Organisation HIV/AIDs in workplace policy framework.
The Policy has incorporated national, regional policies and global HIV/AIDs initiatives. The
SARA HIV/AIDs Policy recognises the need of regional inter-sectoral approach and global
initiatives in prevention and management of HIV/AIDs through adopting standardised
HIV/AIDs overall objectives.
There has never been a study on the impact of HIV/AIDs in the rail sector in the SADC
region. It then becomes a necessity for SARA to carry out the impact study before embarking
on any HIV/AIDs programmes. In ensuring that, the impact of HIV/AIDs is effectively
addressed the SARA HIV/AIDs programmes should include the following:
i. Nutrition
ii. Prevention Programmes
iii. STI Prevention
iv. Support for People with HIV/AIDs
v. HIV/AIDs Awareness and Advocacy
vi. Antiretroviral drugs
vii. Monitoring and Coordination Systems for HIV/AIDs
viii. Estimating the Potential Consequences of the HIV/AIDs Epidemic
ix. Monitoring of risk behaviour patterns
x. Development of Social Indicators to Monitor the HIV Epidemic
xi. Gender and HIV/AIDs in the context of Human Development Implications of the
Epidemic
Project Objectives
Inline with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) regional framework to
mitigate the negative economic and social effects of HIV/AIDS, SARA has embarked on a
development and implementation of regional rail sector HIV/AIDs Strategic Framework and
Program of action for 2007-2011.
The goal of this project is to manage the cost of human resources on railway administrations
by reducing mortality and ill health of railway employees and their families due to HIV/AIDs
and related diseases. The management entails adoption of HIV/AIDs as part of
Organizational Strategic Planning, HIV/AIDs awareness campaigns, setting up of Voluntary
Counseling and Testing centres in every SARA member, training of counselors, peer
educators and trainers, nutritional counseling and provision of subsidized antiretroviral drugs
to employees and their families and provision of health food baskets to employees living with
HIV/AIDs.
Family members of railway employees are also incorporated in the HIV/AIDs mitigation
projects. Railway administrations provide accommodation to most of their employees. Thus
family members leaving in these railway communities would be assisted to start nutritional
gardening and chicken projects to argument their health food provisions for their community.

4. Funding requirements
Funding required is for:
 HIV/AIDs impact assessment
 Training of peer educators, counsellors
 Supply of ARVs or subsided supply of ARVs
 Home based care kits
 Initial capital injection for community health projects such nutritional
gardening chicken projects
Proposed date of implementation
The implementation will commence as soon as the Policy framework is adopted.
Implementation Agents
The SARA secretariat will be the implementation agent of the project and railway
administrations are the beneficiaries of the project. The project will be monitored and
evaluated yearly based on the following indicators:
 Prevalence
 Interventions
Awareness and Campaigns
Medical Treatment (ARVs, STI and opportunity infections treated)
Lifestyle improvements (nutritional supplements, alternative therapies)
Behavioural change programmes
Career and succession planning
Community based projects
Number beneficiaries
Costs
Other milestones
Contact Details
Joice Chidora
Southern African Railways Association
67 Fife Avenue
Harare
Zimbabwe
Tel +263-4-736777/8
Fax + 263-4-736813
Mobile: +263-11-802067
E-mail: jchidora@sararail.org