Chisokone SME Initiative (Egmont)
The nature of work in the informal sector entails entrepreneurs who engage in informal economic activities. The impact of HIV and AIDS on the informal sector activities, which are often family enterprises or are operated by sole breadwinners, begin as soon as a family member starts to suffer from an HIV related illness. This leads to loss of income of the informal sector operator and increased expenditure on medical and other expenses.
The precarious nature of informal employment (the lack of social protection and limited access to health services), worsens the impact of the HIV and AIDS epidemic on proprietors and individual employees. Since informal sector operators are usually not members of trade unions or business networks, government involvement in addressing their plight is very limited. This poses a serious challenge in reaching them, hence the need to develop a Community HIV/AIDS Intervention Programme that shall address the plight of Small and Medium Entrepreneurs (SME).
The programme will entail working closely with local market committees, council committees, individual traders and marketeers to:
- Carry out structured HIV/AIDS information and awareness campaign programmes;
- Identify sites where condoms can be distributed;
- Provide mobile voluntary counselling and testing (VCT);
- Strengthen referral networks and linkages with other stake holders;
- Conduct behavioural change and capacity building programmes.
This programme is funded by the Egmont Trust for one year.