‘AIDS Season’: The term I use for this time of the year.
What……is wrong with the rest of the year? Have people become complacent?
Is nobody at risk of HIV infection during the period of 11 months prior to WAD as I only receive an influx of enquiries and all for the same date, 1st Dec?
I am quite sure that Wellness Days are implemented throughout the year, if they aren’t, they should be, as communities need reminding. People believe ‘IT’ doesn’t affect them and turn a blind eye to the possibilities and in many cases engage in risky behaviour. (Not just SEX but alcohol and drug abuse amongst some of the issues that cause risky behaviour leading to HIV infection as well as STI’s)
I do appreciate the attention #HIV & #AIDS receives around this time of the year but to think that ‘IT’ has been taken care of until the next year is like an ostrich sticking its head in the sand, pretty useless!
If the pandemic is given the attention it deserves we would not have the HIGH number of infections that are happening in #SouthAfrica 400 and 350 THOUSAND respectively in 2012 and 2014. (Those that tested and know their status). #just saying
On that note:
I am pleased to say that I have a week-long diary filled with speaking engagements, a total of TEN Speaking engagements and an order for 40 of my books titled ‘The Deadly Seducer’.
Even though all the NPO/SARS documentation is delayed, I am going ahead with two engagements where the remuneration will be delayed due to this minor issue.
And to TOP the run up to the end of 2015 I will be hosting an ongoing Public Chat on Viber (check viber.com also on FB) when the South African forum is officially launched.
Get ready to follow the conversations which will include various guests and HIV involved celebrities that are willing to chat and contribute.
If you have input of value that is related in any form to HIV & AIDS feel free to contact me and get your name on the ‘hit’ list ASAP!
Email: cindy@cindypivacic.co.za
Wishing you all an informative
World AIDS DAY
😉
South African companies should engage Brand Ambassadors to be their spokesperson, not only for their brand but as part of our strategy to curb the pandemic of HIV & AIDS?
Introduction
Today’s competition among brands for a particular niche is really tough and challenging. If this is not addressed properly, you will find yourself in the midst of brand giants that will bury your brand’s popularity.
You need to find ways to deal with this and develop unique ways to stand out in the crowd.
A popular solution is through the use of a brand persona. Susan Gunelius said, “Your brand is like a person with its own distinct personality”
So is it a must that your corporate brand ambassador is a celebrity? Definitely not!
Your choice can be someone that embodies your brand but he/she must possess the following:
7 Must Have Characteristics of a Corporate Brand Ambassador:
1.Knowledgeable and Innovative in marketing brands
Knowledgeable – Becoming a brand ambassador means that a person is automatically a marketing representative of the company.
2.Professional speaker
Ensure that your brand ambassadors are proactively initiating conversation with others in promoting your brand’s product; be it goods or services.
3.Leader
The main purpose of a brand ambassador is to embody the values, the character and the overall image inherent to the brand.
4.Credible
Credibility of your ambassador is very important. A known and respected authority person adds value to your brand versus extremely expensive advertising campaigns.
5.Relationship Builder
Speaking for your brand is one thing, building a solid relationship is another, and the latter is more important.
6.Team Player
Indeed, brand ambassadors should be high-caliber people. But more than this, they should see themselves as part of the team.
7.Tech-Adequate
Your ambassadors should also be updated on the latest trends that people recognize. Today, people are very much inclined to the use of social media.
Conclusion
Selecting the right brand ambassador (brand persona) is an essential part of your marketing strategy. You need to maximize this wonderful opportunity in building up your brand. Pick the right person with the right skills. Have you considered a brand ambassador? Does your brand ambassador exhibit the core values of your company? Remember your ambassador personifies your corporate brand; choose the best image you want to display.
(Extracts only) Reference: Venchito Tampon
Final Word
by Cindy Pivacic
This option should be the way forward for all companies as it not only promotes their product with a relationship building persona but will contribute to the fact that the company is fully engaged in the welfare of the country.
As a person living with HIV for 11 years and engaged in Sales & Marketing for 30+ years, am in a unique position to be heard and have an excellent online presence to boot. With the added value that I am a Speaker and Trainer providing services to various corporate and public events thereby making an impact on the lives of others, is a considerable bonus to any company considering this option.
South Africa had 750 THOUSAND NEW infections in 2 years which means the workforce is harshly affected!
My question to you is:
What is your company willing to do to become involved in the curbing of infections and improvement of life, enabling progress in South Africa?
Contact me if you wish to discuss opportunities
cindy@cindypivacic.co.za
Tel: 021 839 4529
Cell: 0737396044
I often ponder which rock some people and/or organisations live under so I can hopefully go and drag them out before it is too late.
We have a pandemic in South Africa as far as HIV & AIDS is concerned but we, as a community have become complacent and blasé about the situation.
With World AIDS Day (WAD) coming up it has become ever more noticeable as companies are reluctant to make much of an effort to create awareness. This should be an ongoing contribution throughout the year, now WAD does not even seem to garner much interest.
South Africa had 400 and 350 THOUSAND NEW infections in 2012 and 2014 respectively. (Those are the people we know of and have tested). That is ¾ of a million people; some countries don’t even have that many citizens to boast about. You would think there would be a serious concern for the future of this country other than taking up the ‘fight’ for education. Before long there won’t be enough ‘solid’ individuals to continue the future in governing this country.
Do not for a minute think it does not affect YOU; we are all affected one way or another. You may think it does not concern you but I can guarantee you, you do know somebody ‘close-to-home’ that is infected, they may just not have disclosed their status to you , living in fear of rejection.
Many of the ‘big’ stakeholders in the HIV arena do not agree with advocating fear (and for the record, neither do I) as a deterrent of becoming infected with HIV, perhaps it is time we rethink that idea!
Obviously some of these institutions and communities have not seen the devastation it can cause to a person. The consensus seems to be ‘Oh well, I will just go onto ARV’s’, seriously……
If you want to live a life that does not involve daily medication, even if it is the ONE pill, you need to ensure that you DO NOT become infected.
Becoming infected ensures the following:
- You will have to go for either monthly/bi-monthly/four-monthly/bi-annual/yearly checkups.
- You will have to take medication and supplements for the rest of your life.
- You will have added costs to your life.
- You will lose working hours, like it or not.
- It will affect your lifestyle.
- There will be blood taken, tests done resulting in further costs of time, money and stress.
- It will compromise your immune system making you vulnerable to other dis-eases such as flu, pneumonia, TB, Cancer to name but a few.
It may be at the beginning or the end of your diagnosis that you experience these issues, possibly both, who knows what your system can cope with. You will be able to live a pretty healthy life in-between but at some point you will wonder what you were thinking to put yourself at risk.
Having said that, HIV is a manageable dis-ease but you will eventually die from an AIDS related dis-ease, maybe not for quite a while after diagnosis but it will eventually happen.
Yes, we are all going to die and you may say ‘so what’ but why put yourself in a position where you could in actual fact have made the CHOICE not to accelerate the situation.
My final word is to the corporate sector as well as individuals, be informed, learn from those that have travelled that road.
Solution:
Retain the services of a person living with HIV and AIDS who is in a position to engage with staff at branch level and at their weekly meetings.
This will create a personal relationship where individuals will feel a connection to a ‘face’ where they can ask questions immediately or interact via alternative methods at a more opportune time to receive the information they require.
#CindyHIV
Youth educational focused pocketbook?
The content of this pocketbook is focused on the youth entering adult life and the working world, enlightening them of potential pitfalls, panics and pleasures that could occur and how to avoid or embrace the lesson, should they happen.
Each chapter of the 26 lessons starts with a letter of the alphabet i.e. ‘A’ – Action
Followed up with a factual experience.
Ending with a maximum of 140 characters (easily shared on Twitter etc.) of the #LifeLesson I learnt from this happening.
Sample:
#Action is everything! It is crucial to life and if you sit back and have a thought and do not put it into action, you are already lost to your cause and life plan.
If you do not put your action into practice you cannot assume that life will put your plan in place. Once an action is decided upon, you need to put at least one mechanism in place if you really want it to work, follow through, it is not going to happen on its own.
Fact:
Each time I have had a roadblock jump in front of me I have come up with a new idea and put it into action.
I had wanted to relocate from Durban to Cape Town for years as I believed that there would be more business and openness around health and wellness issues there and when the opportunity arose, I jumped at the chance and took action.
At my age, one would think it is a risk. What is life, if not an adventure without a risk or two, a reasonably controlled one of course? I sold up all my home content as this person wanted someone to take over their furnished place and it was my intention to look for such a place anyway.
But the fact of the matter is, I sold everything to the new tenant where I was leaving, purchased a vehicle on the Saturday, loaded it on a freight train on the Sunday, sent my baggage on the Monday via rail as well, flew to Cape Town on the Tuesday, picked up my car at the Cape Town train station and drove to where I was staying for the week.
All that from start to finish, making the decision to move and putting into action, took ten days! You can achieve results if your mindset is focused on the end result. Put the power of the mind to the test and the result will be easy to fulfill.
#Lesson: Anything is achievable with the right conviction.
If your company has a CSI programme that involves the Youth, this is a valuable pocketbook to add to their education.
Contact Cindy Pivacic for more information.
Brand with YOUR Company logo.
cindy@cindypivacic.co.za
021 839 4529
073 73 96 044
Intriguing that the Facebook post, link below relating to ‘Aggressive new HIV strain’ gets 697 views but the…….
‘Nearly HALF of Brits don’t believe they will ‘catch’ HIV/AIDS’ (the cucumber condom) only got 5 views…..
My question is obviously ‘WHY’?
Are we still in denial or is it complacency?
https://www.facebook.com/CindyPivacicSpeakerHIVAIDS
FAQ’s
1. Q. Who should get tested?
- If you are sexually active or thinking of becoming sexually active then you should get tested.
13. Q. Are there different tests available?
- There are different tests, namely the Rapid Test which is done on site (results in 15 minutes) and the Elisa Test where your blood is drawn by a sister and sent to a laboratory for testing/confirmation.
19. Q. I am 43, have been married twice, and have had five or six sexual partners. Should I get tested?
- Everyone should get tested! Without a test you DO NOT know your status.
22. Q. Does it matter if both partners have HIV and don’t practice safe sex?
- Yes. The viral load (amount of HIV) in a person’s blood can be increased by having sex with an infected partner, which means damage to the immune system is speeded up. Also, it is possible for a person with HIV to become re-infected with a different strain of HIV. [gview file=”https://cindypivacic.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/I-Speak-HIV-Do-YOU3.pptx”]
THINK
OPEN your eyes and see what is going on around you.
OPEN your mouth and speak about what is happening in South Africa.
People will not THINK you are HIV Positive if you talk about HIV they will thank you for taking the trouble to discuss and share any any information you have.
At the same time you will be assisting in removing the #Stigma & #Discrimination that still exists.
#DoYourBit for #SouthAfrica #worktogether
I speak OUT as an HIV Positive person, will you speak UP for others?
A – I – D -S
Action Involves Doing Something!
HIV is NOT a SHAME
What are you and your company doing to engage and create awareness on the topic of HIV & AIDS?
World AIDS Day is a perfect opportunity to THINK and TALK about HIV & AIDS
Let’s spread the message NOT the virus.
The South African Community still has a lot to learn. It is time to take charge and get involved.
Contact:
Cindy Pivacic for bookings
cindy@cindypivacic.co.za
021 839 4529
0737396044
Hurry and pick your date from the calendar below 🙂
[gview file=”https://cindypivacic.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Event-Calendar-WAD2015-a1.pdf”]
It is amazing how almost every insurance company is suddenly excessively focused on HIV insurance!
Is this good or bad? Not for me to judge BUT……
A few years back and I am talking not more than two or three years ago, (2012) not one insurance company would insure a PLWHA. I was in fact approached by an employee from a large insurance company that was interested in me securing individuals and receiving a ‘finder’s fee/commission’ from this. I was not about to exploit my fellow PLWHA.
Now almost every insurance company is on the bandwagon as HIV is considered a manageable dis-ease.
GOOD:
Yes, in the sense that a person can now ensure that their families are taken care of once they have passed on. The fact is that it makes a person much more aware of managing their HIV status as the insurance institute only covers you if your CD4 count is at a firm level and above a set figure, your Viral Load is below 1000 copies/ml and you have been on ARV’s for a certain period of time.
This is GOOD!
There are some insurance companies that have two chronic dis-eases that they focus on which gives you the assurance that they must be reasonably well informed and remain focused on new and relevant information.
BAD:
What does this say about our HIV statistics? Are there more people living with HIV and are a target market not to be cast aside, I think so. Is it that the sales teams have been ‘forced’ to focus on PLWHA as highly responsive potential?
With 400 thousand new infections in 2012 and 350 thousand in 2014, speaks for itself. These are the infected PLWHA that have tested and we know of! That is a THREE QUARTER of a MILLION people!!
I was in a conversation recently and someone stated ‘Oh so our infections have dropped?’
Aaah, that figure is SERIOUSLY unacceptable whether they have dropped by 10k or 50k. There are some countries that do not have three quarter of a million people.
This is BAD!
Are we becoming complacent about HIV in this country? I would say yes, most definitely but while I agree that we all have rights to healthcare, insurance and the rest, why are the insurance companies not being more active in creating awareness around this HIV issue.
CONCLUSION:
Make use of HIV Activists as Ambassadors to promote a healthy lifestyle, not only for people infected,
affected and those that can potentially become infected.
Firstly by doing this, people will be informed and secondly the insurance companies will benefit by keeping the community healthy and able to support their families for much longer and have cover for a much longer period of time. #justsaying #nobrainer
