FDH Bank has donated K6 million to the College of Medicine (CoM) to support online learning at the college during the Covid-19 pandemic era.
Presenting the donation in Blantyre on Monday, FDH bank Managing Director Dr Ellias Ngalande said as a brand that supports growth and with a robust Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program pivoted on education and health, the bank found it necessary to assist CoM students meet their needs that will both serve their academic growth and the welfare of the country in terms of building a skilled work force in the health sector.
“In the wake of the Covid 19 pandemic, government ordered the closure of all schools and colleges which were doing face to face teaching. This was aimed at reducing the spread of the virus through classroom congestion and physical contact.”
“This rendered many students helpless as they could not afford laptops or tablets to foster online academic progress in the Emergency Remote Learning facilitated by COM. In this respect, we mobilized K6 Million to the College of Medicine to procure laptops for 15 students at K400,000 each,” said Ngalande.
Ngalande said FDH Bank, as a home grown institution, is keen on supporting the needs of Malawians adding that they support various initiatives in education and health sectors including the University of Malawi, Malawi College of Science and Technology and Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital.
He hailed Principal of CoM Dr Mwapatsa Mipando and his team for the initiative to ensure continued investment in educating the nation and efforts towards inclusiveness for those facing various challenges in their academic journey.
Mipando thanked FDH bank for the donation saying it will go a long way in helping students who cannot afford the tablets for the Emergency Remote Learning (ERL) which has come about because of Covid-19 restrictions.
“We are very grateful for this donation and we would like to thank FDH Bank immensely for coming to the rescue of our students,” said Mipando noting that they still need more support in the initiative.
