THERE is no doubt that the novel coronavirus pandemic is one of the most urgent health, economic, and social crises the world has faced in decades. To date, over four million cases and more than 280,000 deaths have been reported worldwide.
Back home, Zambia has so far recorded over 260 confirmed cases with seven deaths resulting from the virus that is believed to have started from China.
As regional governments move to stem the tide of this pandemic and counter its short- and long-term impact across critical sectors, a multi-sectoral response is needed to meet immediate health emergency care and response needs, while ensuring that a social safety net is created to support people whose income may drastically reduce during this crisis, and to protect the rights of the most vulnerable citizens.
This multifaceted approach which seeks to mitigate shocks and support recovery efforts from a crisis that may exacerbate existing inequalities and result in losing past years’ gains towards the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has seen the private sector moving in to supplement Government's efforts.
Here, one such player is mobile telecommunications company IHS Zambia which recently joined the fight against the coronavirus with a donation of assorted items worth over K250, 000 to the Kazungula district preparedness committee.
IHS Zambia is one of the largest mobile telecommunications infrastructure providers in Africa, Europe and the Middle East by tower count and the third largest independent multinational tower company globally.
Among the items the company which has been in the country for six years donated are 50 mattresses, one hundred blankets, fifty hand wash buckets, two hundred bottles of hand wash soap another 200 bottles of soap refills, five hundred bottles of hand sanitizer, three digital thermometers and one thousand face masks.
“One of the most pressing needs in Zambia right now is materials that will help the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. When we received the request for assistance from the district commissioner for Kazungula [Pascalina Musokotwane], we did not hesitate to respond positively,” said IHS Zambia commercial director Augustin Phiri.
Mr Phiri said IHS Zambia was pleased to respond to the needs of the people because it attaches high value to people and communities it operates in.
“As the largest provider of telecommunication tower infrastructure in Zambia, we have a physical presence in all the regions in Zambia. For us, this means that we have a vested interest in giving back to the communities in which we are present through various sustainability initiatives such as the one we are here for,” he said.
In the six years that IHS Zambia has been in the country, they have executed a number of corporate social responsibility activities that go beyond the ICT sector to touch a wide variety of humanitarian causes particularly those that have a direct, positive impact on the Zambian people.
Some of these activities include the building and commissioning of a 40 foot containerised library at Kamanga Community School in Lusaka, the rehabilitation of classrooms and learning infrastructure at Mphango Primary School, Chainda Primary School and Kapete Primary School to name but a few.
Furthermore, in an effort to promote positive environmental practices, IHS Zambia has converted a good number of their sites to solar power with a robust generator recycling programme that has to date seen then donate over 50 refurbished generators to schools, hospitals and orphanages for enhanced and uninterrupted operations.
Speaking when he received the donation on behalf of the Kazungula district preparedness committee, Southern province permanent secretary Mwangala Liomba called for more private sector involvement in the fight against the coronavirus.
“It is encouraging to see such positive support from the private sector especially during such challenging times as these. We as Government are constantly reminding the private sector that they are duty bound to the communities in which they operate and I am looking forward to a day when all players in the private sector put in as much into the community as IHS Zambia continue to do.
“I have been further assured that these projects will continue to be a consistent part of IHS Zambia’s operations. ...we all know what is happening in Nakonde, and this town being a border town, such gestures are welcome,” he said.
Mr Liomba also reminded the district to ensure that the donated items are not misappropriated.
“Make sure that you account for these items so that when the auditors come, you are not found on the other side of the law,” he said.
And Southern province director of health Naman Monze said his office will ensure that the items are used for their intended purposes.
“I am imploring the district preparedness committee to embrace these gifts which are as good as ammunition for use in the fight against the coronavirus,” he said.
Ms Musokotwane also took the opportunity to challenge the business community to come on board and supplement Government’s efforts in fighting the pandemic.
She said the district is lucky not to have recorded any positive case of the coronavirus yet.
“We shall continue to lobby for assistance from the business community. We want as many people to join this fight. Government alone cannot fight the pandemic, it requires everyone’s support,” she said.
No comments:
Post a Comment