GBC President and CEO Ambassador Richard Holbrooke launched the GBC Call Center Initiative, the first HIV prevention strategy specifically designed for India's growing Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) workforce. Supported by GBC partner, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and GBC Corporate Advisory Board member Ratan N. Tata, the initiative engages call center managers and finance and Information Technology (IT) industry leaders. Credited with creating new business ventures and job opportunities, BPO attracts a highly-educated workforce and is largely responsible for India's soaring economic growth
Ambassador Holbrooke’s visit began at iEnergizer, a New-Delhi call-center commencing the first HIV prevention program targeting young adults working in BPO. The iEnergizer program consists of employee trainings on HIV/AIDS stigma reduction, awareness and prevention education, and access to comprehensive testing and support services. If successful, this program will serve as a replicable model for other call-centers throughout India.
After the official program launch, Ambassador Holbrooke moderated a Townhall meeting discussion with 30 to 40 young adults between the ages of 20 and 25. All of the attendants are currently working at iEnergizer’s call-center, which sources United States based IT and Financial Services companies. Employees compared reactions to their recently completed sexual attitudes and practices survey and shared their views on HIV/AIDS. Click here to view The Face of Global Sex - a Durex Network survey that was adopted for iEnergizer workers.
The Townhall meeting was followed by a joint GBC/CII roundtable entitled New Innovations in India’s Response to AIDS: Risk Reduction in the IT and Financial Services Sectors. Resuming his role as moderator, Ambassador Holbrooke led a discussion to determine how Financial and IT industries can apply core skills and resources to India’s HIV/AIDS fight. The first in a series of consultations with senior executives, the roundtable was designed to facilitate a comprehensive industry-wide strategy for HIV prevention in call centers.
GBC efforts in India have resulted in greater corporate involvement in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Most recently, iEnergizer joined the Coalition's growing list of over 200 companies globally.
"We decided one thing we had to do was include in our employee induction a whole new chapter on HIV/AIDS so every new employee would be made aware of this disease," says Ashish Mittal, Vice President-Operations. "We made it top management policy."
GBC efforts in India have resulted in greater corporate involvement in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Most recently, iEnergizer joined the Coalition's growing list of over 200 companies globally.
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