Beam gives Apam K10 million
First Lady Getrude Mutharika’s Beautify Malawi (Beam) Trust Wednesday donated over K10 million to Association of Persons with Albinism (Apam) for the ongoing battle against killings and abductions of persons with albinism.
The donated funds were realised during an all-ladies luncheon that Beam organised at Sanjika Palace in Blantyre last month.
Speaking during the handover ceremony in Lilongwe, chairperson for the luncheon organising committee, Mervis Mangulenje, said Mutharika accepted the idea of a luncheon after recognising the importance of such a cause.
“We may not say the money that was realised is enough, if we consider the huge task that is ahead of us as a country in the fight against the atrocities against people with albinism but it is still enough for a start. As Beam, we will continue to organise such initiatives and mobilise more resources for charity,” Mangulenje said.
Apam President, Overstone Kondowe, who encouraged other people and organisations to move forward and pump in more resources for the fight, said ignorance among Malawians remains a major challenge.
“It is only through education that our society can stop such barbaric actions on people with albinism and what we need to do is to go into the communities with sensitisation meetings. We promise to use the funds responsibly,” Kondowe said.
Chief Director in the Ministry of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare, Esmie Kainja, said the government continues to come up with different measures to deal with the acts.
Kainja, however, said resources are another major challenge in the war against killings and abductions of people with albinism.
“We have done a lot in the past months but resources have been a problem. We would like to thank the First Lady for the gesture and ask for more from other well-wishers,” Kainja said.
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