Research, prevention and training programs

In the field, most of our subsidiaries are involved in preventive health care, health information and education campaigns. Always carried out with the approval of the country's authorities, our initiatives focus on the most vulnerable and/or exposed populations. They rely on the assistance of various institutions and the expertise of local and international NGOs.

A few examples

Madagascar

Children under five accounted for more than half of all cases of diarrheal illnesses reported in 2004. Following the funding of an initial research phase to develop a quick diagnostic test to determine whether the disease is viral or bacterial in origin, the Total Foundation has been supporting the local Institut Pasteur since 2009 to expand a pediatric care unit in the Moramanga region, create a bacteriology laboratory and train local personnel to identify and treat cases of diarrhea. Our goal is to improve the children's care and teach mothers appropriate hygiene. A similar program is set to be rolled out in Bangui (Central African Republic) in 2010.

China

One public health priority is to prevent and treat type B and type C viral hepatitis. Although quite widespread, these infections and their victims suffer from erroneous and preconceived notions and discrimination in the country. Through two partnerships with the China Foundation for Hepatitis Prevention and Control and with Institut Pasteur Shanghai/Chinese Academy of Sciences, Total has a dual commitment to support programs on disease prevention, research and the training of medical personnel.

Combating pandemics

The fight against AIDS

A few examples

Cameroon

The French agency for AIDS and viral hepatitis research (ANRS) is conducting research in Douala and Yaoundé on the causes of the failure of HIV treatment in newborns. A group of babies born HIV-positive was selected for the study. The Total Foundation has decided to cover the cost of food and treatment for the HIV-positive babies who were not selected for the project, provide psychosocial support for parents and improve accommodations, health care facilities and laboratories. The program involves three health centers, namely: the Centre Pasteur, the pediatric center of the Chantal Biya Foundation in Yaoundé and the pediatric department of Laquintinie hospital in Douala.

Angola

From 2005 to 2010, Total supported a Luanda-based NGO, the CAJ, Centro de Apoio aos Jovens, founded in 2001 to assist young people by providing information about sexual and reproductive health and the prevention of STDs and HIV. The partnership aims to expand the CAJ's capacities and bring the center into line with international standards. Total contributed to restoring the center and its laboratory, training health care professionals and social workers, health care mediators, peer educators, designing teaching tools, increasing the number of consultations, improving the monitoring and evaluation system and setting up a discussion group for people living with HIV. From 2006 to March 2009, nearly 16,000 people attended consultations at the CAJ laboratory for STD screening and treatment: 12,000 agreed to be tested for HIV and 3.3% tested positive. The Foundation's financial aid program will come to an end in 2010 with the delivery of a vehicle fully equipped for mobile consultations and tests.

Marocco

Between 2007 and 2009, 44,000 long-distance truckers were educated about HIV/AIDS, along with sex industry workers with whom they might have contact. The campaign included HIV/AIDS screening, STI counseling and the distribution of condoms and informational material. Conducted by Association Marocaine de Lutte contre le Sida (ALCS - Moroccan AIDS Service Organization) in partnership with Total, the campaign is supported by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. A number of studies have shown a high prevalence of the epidemic along major road routes in Africa and Asia. The Total Foundation has also supported ALCS in its awareness-raising campaigns aimed at high school and post-secondary students in the Casablanca region since 2008.

The fight against malaria

Malaria continues to be one of the principal global health scourges. One-third of the world's population is at risk from the disease. In 2008, there were 247 million cases of malaria and nearly one million deaths - mostly among children living in Africa according to the WHO (World Health Organization). Some 80% of malaria cases are reported in sub-Saharan Africa, a region in which we have strong presence.

Our Marketing subsidiaries in Africa have been actively involved in the fight against malaria since 2008. Their actions include campaigns in service stations, the distribution of 7,000 practical guides, a million informational brochures and 20,000 educational games, promoting the use of mosquito nets and village outreach initiatives. Such actions are always tailored to each local situation and have also been taken on board and deployed by several Exploration & Production subsidiaries, even on other continents, to reach the maximum number of people. The program is set to continue in the face of what remains one of the world's main public health problems today.