THE fight against Jamaica’s HIV/AIDS epidemic got a boost yesterday when the local office of Shell oil company contributed $350,000 to Jamaica AIDS Support (JAS), which will be used by the advocacy group in its educational programmes.

The grant will fund the JAS’ school programmes on HIV/AIDS prevention in the Rockfort area of Kingston, and it will allow the JAS to resume transmission of its award-winning television show, Life Voices, said Stephen Johnson, chairman of the JAS board of governors, during a news conference yesterday at the offices of the organisation in Kingston.

Johnson, saying such corporate partnerships were critical to the success of JAS, urged other corporations to “follow the example of The Shell Company and get involved” with similar programs and contributions.

Mario Vulinovich, country chairman of The Shell Company WI Ltd, said Shell’s partnership with JAS would draw on his company’s experience in South Africa and Kenya, where it has been involved in efforts to reduce those countries raging HIV/AIDS epidemic.

While Jamaica’s HIV/AIDS epidemic is not nearly as severe as in parts of Africa, it is the leading cause of death in some age groups, including the 30 to 34 year-old group.

In the first half of 2002, the number of reported AIDS cases in Jamaica showed a slight increase, compared to the previous year. There were 511 new cases reported.

In all, the government estimates there are 24,000 cases of HIV/AIDS, but it has registered only 6,088 cases.

Vulinovich called Shell’s partnership with JAS a “pro-active” approach in fighting the epidemic, and he said the initial contribution would cover educational programmes for three months, during the programme’s initial phase.

Shell, at the same time, will soon implement educational seminars in its local offices to ensure that Shell employees, family members, and contractors understand how to avoid becoming victims of HIV/AIDS.

Johnson said that due to Shell’s contribution, the JAS now will have a “full-fledged” public education department, headed by Ian McKnight, and which will work in schools in the Rockfort area, where Shell is based.

“It is through our educational institutions that we feel we will be able to make significant impact on our children’s sexual behaviours at this impressionable stage of their lives,” Johnson said.

Johnson noted that Life Voices, the television show, was knocked off the air when the Reggae Sun Cable TV’s studio was burnt down. The station was no longer able to allow for free broadcast of the show, but Shell’s contribution would enable JAS to put the show back on the air, and it will be aired through most of the island, he said.

McKnight said the importance of ongoing educational programmes on HIV/AIDS was underscored by the fact that “there are still people, in the length and breadth of Jamaica, who have not heard” about the dangers of HIV/AIDS.

“There are still many of our men who refuse to use condoms,” he added.