Lekhetho Ntsukunyane
Maluti Mountain Brewery (MMB) has partnered Population Services International (PSI) Lesotho in the fight against HIV and AIDS through a pilot condom distribution programme.
The partnership, launched on 19 December, also includes the Lesotho Liquor Outlets and Restaurants Owners (LLROA), and seeks to distribute and encourage the use of condoms among the youths.
According to the MMB Managing Director, Thomas Mpedi, the initiative is part of the company’s Sustainable Development Strategy, codenamed ‘Prosper’.
“It is under this framework of ‘Prosper’ that Maluti Mountain Brewery partnered Population Services International and Lesotho Liquor Outlets and Restaurant Owners Association to complement government efforts in the fight against HIV/AIDS,” Mr Mpedi said.
The MMB, Mr Mpedi added, recently improved its Sustainable Development Strategy “to give it a sharper focus to align with the new challenges of today that we face as business and society to ensure that we are up to the task of addressing them head on. The tagline for our strategy is known as ‘Prosper’.”
Mr Mpedi explained under ‘Prosper’, there are five “imperatives” namely, “A Thriving World, where incomes and quality of life are growing; A Sociable World, where our beers are developed, marketed, sold and consumed with high regards for individual and community well-being; A Clean World, where nothing goes to waste and emissions are dramatically lower; A Resilient World, where our businesses, local communities and ecosystems share uninterrupted access to safe, clean water; and A Productive World, where land is used responsibly, food supply is secure, biodiversity is protected and our crops can be accessed at reasonable prices.”
Mr Mpedi added: “I am pleased to announce that under our Thriving World imperative, MMB, in conjunction with our partners, has launched a condom-distribution programme through our trucks. What will distinguish this partnership from all the other partnerships we have had before is that this one is about saving the lives of people and making real impact on the ground.
“We have agreed to run a pilot starting January, with a view to make this initiative national post the pilot phase. We will be distributing PSI condoms in Maseru and three districts in the mountains; Mokhotlong, Thaba-Tseka, and Qacha’s Nek.
“Our intention is to make sure that condoms are available and accessible at all times. We aspire to have a system that enables our customers to place orders for condoms just like they do with beverages. With LLROA sitting around the same table with us and PSI also in on this partnership, I am assured of smooth-working relations in rolling out this programme. This is what our sustainable development strategy refers to in terms of shared imperatives.”
PSI Lesotho Country Representative, Nthati Lebona and the LLROA’s Motseki Nkeane, also share the same sentiment about the partnership.
