The Thomson and Barbra Mpinganjira Foundation Thursday donated Personal protective Equipment (PPE) worth K10 million to the Adventist Health Services (AHS) hospitals in the country.

The donation comes barely two days after the Foundation made a similar donation worth K20 million to the Ministry of Health for the three major referral hospitals in the country.

Speaking at the presentation of the PPEs in Blantyre, a representative of the Foundation, Annabel Mpinganjira noted that the Covid-19 pandemic has affected everyone and they felt they should make their contribution towards the fight against the novel coronavirus.

“The Thomson and Barbra Mpinganjira Foundation commends the outstanding work the Adventist Health Services does in servicing lives in its hospitals and may God continue blessing the institution, its leadership and all staff so that more lives can be saved now and in the years to come.”

“The Foundation believes in partnership to create synergy for greater impact hence working together with the Adventist Health Services to fight the COVID 19 pandemic,” said Mpinganjira.

The assorted items that were donated include surgical masks, Gloves, Chlorine Powder, Sprayers, Gumboots, Hand Sanitizers, Infrared Thermometers, liquid hand soap among others.

Mpinganjira also said the Foundation aims to use creative approaches to bring hope and joy to the underprivileged by improving their outcomes in the health and education sectors and creating an enterprise development platform for the youth with creative business ideas to flourish.

“The Foundation, therefore, aims to facilitate the development of more educated, healthier and wealthier people through job creation, building communities and sustainable lives. Collectively we are going to win the Covid-19 battle,” she said.

Adventist Health Services Chief Executive Officer Dr. Fryson Kasenga hailed the Foundation for the donation saying it will go a long way in the fight against the pandemic.

“AHS has a network of 16 clinics; 5 in the south, 5 centre, 6 in the north. Procurement of the PPE’s and transportation to all 16 clinics has been a significant challenge due to financial constraints. So we can’t manage to procure all these materials that the Foundation has brought to us. This is really a significant support that we have received because the donation has come at the right time.”

“We are not taking this support for granted, we are very grateful because our members of staff will make use of these materials to ensure that Covid-19 is well taken care of. May God continue to bless the Foundation, AHS and Malawi nation as we work together to fight this pandemic COVID 19 which is taking our lives day by day and is causing human suffering,” said Dr Kasenga.

The Thomson and Barbra Mpinganjira Foundation has kicked off its charitable works with a donation of K20 million worth of personal protective equipment (PPEs) items for Covid-19 fight to the Ministry of Health.

The foundation which was founded last year by business mogul Thomson Mpinganjira in memory of his late wife Barbra donated the items which included face masks and surgical gloves which will be distributed to the three main major referral hospitals in the country namely Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH) in Blantyre, Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH) in Lilongwe and Mzuzu Central Hospital (MCH) in Mzuzu.

Speaking at the presentation ceremony in Blantyre on Monday, a representative of the Foundation Annabel Mpinganjira said their joint assessment with the Ministry of Health identified the need for face masks and surgical gloves in the central hospitals hence their contribution.

“As partners in the promotion of health outcomes and national development with the Ministry of Health, our joint needs assessment identified the need for additional face masks and surgical gloves in the Central Hospitals hence our contribution this morning has focused on reducing that gap.”

“The Foundation believes in working together with the Government and Communities in surmounting any challenge the country may be facing including the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Mpinganjira.

Speaking on behalf of the Ministry of Health, QECH Deputy Director for Nursing and Midwifery Services Miss Linley Chewere hailed the Thomson and Barbra Mpinganjira Foundation for the donation saying it is timely and will go a long way in the fight against Covid-19 pandemic.

“Masks and surgical gloves are very vital in our line of work here at the hospital as such, there is a huge need for these supplies as we continue with the fight against Covid-19. We profoundly thank the Thomson and Barbara Mpinganjira Foundation for this huge contribution and it will go a long way in assisting in our work of saving lives. ” said Chewere.

Inspired by the life of the Late Mrs. Barbara Mpinganjira and her medical journey as a cancer patient and Dr. Thomson Frank Mpinganjira, the founder and retired Chief Executive Officer of FDH Financial Holdings Limited, the Foundation aims to use creative approaches to bring hope and joy to the underprivileged by improving their outcomes in the health and education sectors and creating an enterprise development platform for the youth with creative business ideas to flourish.

“The Foundation aims to facilitate the development of more educated, healthier and wealthier people through job creation, building communities and sustainable lives. It also looks to the future of our country with hope as it embarks on its people-centred projects as part of its contribution to the development of our country,” said Mpinganjira.

“Collectively we are going to win the Covid-19 battle,” she added.

Insurance giant United General Insurance (UGI) Friday donated K10 million to the University of Malawi (UNIMA) and its constituent colleges to help in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.

Presenting the donation in Blantyre, UGI Chief Executive Officer Bywell Blair Chiwoni said since the first registered case of the novel coronavirus in the country in April 2020, most of the sectors including the education sector have been affected hence their support to UNIMA.

“One of the sectors that has been heavily affected is the education sector. Learning is no longer the same as education institutions are being forced to adopt innovative ways of teaching. UGI would like to ensure that learning continues even as we go through these unprecedented times. We are hopeful that if we play our role, we will be helping in strengthening the different initiatives that learning institutions are implementing to make the institutions sustainable and safer,” said Chiwoni.

He commended UNIMA council for the leadership and decisive action during ‘this difficult time’.

“UNIMA has been our client for over two decades and this means they are no longer a client but part of our family as such charity must begin at home! UGI will continue to stand side-by-side with UNIMA as it faces this great challenge.”

“The challenge we face today requires continued cooperation not only between our two institutions, but with the government, the donor community, the business community, civil society, and the Malawian citizenry,” said Chiwoni.

Receiving the donation on behalf of UNIMA acting Vice Chancellor Prof Al Mtenje, Polytechnic Acting Principal Dr. Nancy Chitera thanked UGI for the donation saying it will go a long way in fighting against the pandemic.

“We are so grateful for this donation from UGI. The University cannot stop but to continue for the development of human capital for the nation. The most important thing that we need to look at is how we protect both the 12,000 students and more than 1,000 academic and non-academic staff from being infected with the virus as we do this noble duty. Universities cannot be closed forever; at the same time, we need to stay safe so that we maintain the high calibre of staff that the University has in health condition,” said Chitera.

She said as a result of the pandemic, the University has introduced measures of combating the disease some of which are the emergency remote learning to reduce face-to-face contacts and decongest the campuses but noted that it is expensive.  

“During this time of great uncertainty, UNIMA family has been comforted, encouraged, and humbled by your generosity and support. This is a remarkable gesture and The University is very grateful and let me assure you that it will go a long way in protecting the spread of this virus,” said Chitera.