since returning from south africa, my consumption of carbonated beverages has been limited strictly to coca-cola products. growing up in texas, i was raised on dr pepper and eventually diet dr pepper. i still drank coke products on occassion, but for the most part i was a dr pepper man.
in south africa, i noticed the over whelming presence of coke products everywhere we went. we would be driving down a road, and in the middle of a huge field there would be a lone coca-cola sign posted in the middle. coke signs were all over the place. when we went to the grocery store one day, nearly every aisle had the floor lined with 2-liter bottles of coke and other coca-cola products. we would visit people's homes and would notice stacks of empty coca-cola bottles.
our team even became insanely hooked on pineapple fanta (a coca-cola product)...if you've never tried pineapple fanta, give it a shot!
after some research, i learned a little more why coca-cola is so huge in south africa.
- coca-cola is the largest employer in south africa
- coca-cola has contributed $2.5 million towards hiv/aids education
- coca-cola has developed "dance4life" programs for youth to raise community awareness of hiv/aids
- coca-cola provides comprehensive hiv/aids coverage for all coca-cola employees, as well as their spouses and children
- coca-cola provides free arv medications to coca-cola employees and family members afflicted with hiv/aids
robert lindsay, president of the coca-cola africa foundation, the body handling all of coca-cola's community initiatives in africa said, "we don't add much value by just writing a check. we add more value by using our trucks to physically deliver the actual products needed." in some communities of south africa, coca-cola has been using it's delivery trucks to deliver free condoms, educational information and in some cases even arv medication.
while me drinking carbonated beverages may adversely effect my health, i have made the choice to stick with coca-cola products solely when drinking carbonated beverages. just another way that i (and you) can help fight the hiv/aids pandemic in south africa.
resources and more information:
- coca-cola hiv/aids initiatives
- innovation – crucial to tackling the hiv/aids pandemic in africa
- coca-cola south africa (click on "csi profile" on top, then "flagship programmes 2008" on left)
sobonana...
I'm assuming 'sobana' means "until next time," yes?
Posted by: Lisa | October 21, 2009 at 10:14 PM