Chinese business community aids Malawi’s Covid fight
The Chinese oversees Chamber of Commerce, a group of Chinese business people in Malawi, has committed to supporting the country’s fight against the second wave of Covid.
Chairperson of the community, Shaohui Chen, made the pledge in Blantyre at the weekend when the group donated 51,000 face masks to Blantyre District Health Office (DHO).
Chen said the pandemic has affected many aspects of life but said the mask remains a very important tool in preventing transmission.
“From our experience, both at home and here in Malawi, the mask is a very important tool if we are to defeat this common enemy; so we decided to donate the masks to healthcare workers who are at the frontlines assisting the whole nation in fighting the pandemic,” Chen said.
He also said that the Chinese business community remains with Malawians in “this time of need”.
“We love this country as we regard it as our second homeland, so we are here and together we will fight and defeat this pandemic,” Chen said.
The masks are valued at K15 million.
“But it is not about the money; rather, the reason behind this gesture, which is to save lives of our frontline workers,” Chen said.
Director of Health and Social Services for Blantyre District Gift Kawalazira said health facilities in the country still need such protective gear despite having many more in stock.
“These are disposable tools, so although we still have some in stock, we still need a continuous supply because we are also continuously disposing them after use,” Kawalazira told journalists.
Recently, President Lazarus Chakwera made a call for individuals, companies and organisations to come out and help support initiatives aimed at fighting the Covid pandemic as Malawi grapples with the second wave of the pandemic.
Since the President’s call, various organisations, individuals and companies have come in to support the effort against the novel virus.
Eric Msikiti is a Senior Reporter/News Producer at Times Group. Though relatively young, Eric boasts years of experience in Malawi’s media industry.
