The ManicaPost
Business Reporters
VARIOUS companies and organisations have heeded Government’s call for them to join in the fight against Covid-19, with Manicaland receiving sanitary wear, food, beverages and personal protective clothing worth thousands of dollars.
Stanbic Bank donated personal protective equipment to Mutare Infectious Diseases Hospital.
The hospital received 300 suits, 2 250 surgical masks, 450 N95 masks, 75 face shields, 300 goggles and 3000 gloves for its frontline workers.
MIDH is designated as a Covid-19 isolation centre and has been undergoing extensive renovations.
Stanbic Bank Mutare branch manager, Mr Lincoln Mhlanga said the financial institution chose to support the frontline workers as they face the pandemic first hand at their workstations.
“There are many frontline workers and we appreciate their efforts. Today we are here to support the medical frontliners who can in no way escape or avoid this war as they are the backbone of the survival of our people, even when we are not in times of crises. Our healthcare workers cannot function without the personal protective equipment and we appreciate the risk involved when discharging their duties,” said Mr Mhlanga.
Dairibord Zimbabwe also donated food and beverage products worth $586 000 to Victoria Chitepo Provincial Hospital, Chipinge and Nyanga district hospitals.
Speaking at the hand over function, Dairibord marketing director Mrs Tracey Mutaviri said their donation is part of the $3 million worth of products and $1 million cash pledged to President Mnangagwa in April.
Mrs Mutaviri said the three hospitals will collect the products in batches to ensure that they reach patients while still fresh.
SayWhat Zimbabwe, an organisation that advocates for youth reproductive health, donated sanitary wear worth US$1 000 to women and girls housed at the province’s quarantine facilities.
SayWhat project coordinator, Mr Leo Munyonho said the organisation will continue advocating for the availability of affordable sanitary wear for women and girls.
“We realised that there are women and girls in our quarantine centres whose health needs to be looked at. Sanitary pads are expensive and some women and girls cannot afford them. That is why we are donating these reusable sanitary pads,” he said.
The organisation also donated menstrual cups and clinical cotton wool.
Other organisations that have joined the fight against the pandemic include the Briaans Jane Foundation, Creating Better Futures and GreenFuel.
GreenFuel donated construction materials for the isolation centre at Old Mutare Mission Hospital.
Briaans Jane Foundation donated face masks and liquid disinfectants.
The organisation’s head of operations Mrs Nyarai Kujinga said they had felt compelled to play a part in fighting Covid-19.
Creating Better Futures donated food hampers to learners at Chitakatira Primary School.
Project Manager for Manicaland, Mr Dean Matondo said they had been assisting 87 vulnerable learners at both Chitakatira High and Chitakatira Primary schools for several years. Receiving the donations, Minister of State for Manicaland Provincial Affairs, Dr Ellen Gwaradzimba said reproductive health for women in quarantine centres is an important issue that needs urgent attention.
She said most women cannot afford to buy sanitary wear, therefore various organisations must come up with initiatives to produce reusable sanitary wear.
“It is very touching that you have set aside resources for young women and mothers in quarantine. Menstruation is part of nature and it is unavoidable. We have women and girls in quarantine and at home under lockdown they cannot afford these products. If we could start projects of this nature, we can mobilise resources from companies and enlist youths to produce these in bulk for all women to access them,” she said.
She said youths should not be spectators, but play an active role in the fight against Covid-19 through raising awareness among their peers and other people in the community. Dr Gwaradzimba also commended all the companies that have been fighting Covid-19 through various means.
