For employees in non-endemic and endemic regions alike, the company is pioneering effective teaching tools through its health-care portals and intranet sites. Globally, it's leveraging its football sponsorships and marketing footprints to highlight malaria as a key issue impacting success in Africa.
Malaria kills more people in sub-Saharan Africa than anywhere else in the world. Half the world population - 3,3 billion people - are at risk of malaria. The disease kills one child under five every 30 seconds in Africa. The United Nation' Millennium Development Goal is to eradicate malaria deaths by 2015, and if this goal is to be achieved, efforts to fight the disease need to be accelerated.
With malaria resulting in US$12-billion lost in gross domestic product in Africa every year, Standard Bank recognises the burden the disease inflicts on the continent, and wants to be part of a solution that will ensure that malaria deaths are eradicated.
“Malaria is a serious issue for Standard Bank Group across Africa, having cost us about R45 million last year as a result of absenteeism alone. Adults miss between one to five days each time they or their children suffer a bout of malaria,” says Sim Tshabalala, Standard Bank group deputy chief executive. “These statistics, coupled with the fact that 91% of malaria deaths occur in Africa makes it a sustainability issue not only for the bank, but for everyone on the continent.”
“We want our staff, their families and our customers to lead healthy and productive lives. It is for this reason that we are doing an education and prevention campaign of this scale,” says Tshabalala.
Standard Bank will be hosting a number of activities around the continent during the run-up to, and on, World Malaria Day. The activities will include distributing malaria nets to less privileged communities in multiple countries including Nigeria, Uganda, Botswana, Angola and Ghana.
Says Clive Tasker, Standard Bank Africa CEO, “We are extremely proud of the enthusiasm with which our employees are taking part in these initiatives as this reinforces our commitment to the continent.”
“Our commitment to making the right connections with our customers' means going out to as many stakeholders as possible and finding solutions to the obstacles and challenges they face. Malaria threatens the livelihood of our customers.
Fighting side by side with NGOs and government institutions against this disease is important to show we care for them not just as customers, but as fellow Africans,” concludes Tasker.
