NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 17 – Airtel Kenya staff on Friday visited and provided clothes and beddings to victims of the Sinai fire at their Tom Mboya Social Hall temporary shelter in Makadara.
The staff had earlier donated a total of 45 pints of blood at a special blood donor clinic at their offices in Parkside Towers on Mombasa Road.
The items were handed over to the Makadara District Commissioner Suleiman Chege who lauded the company and its staff for their show of care and generosity at the time of need for the people of Sinai.
Chief Operating Officer Shivan Bhargava lauded the initiative spearheaded by Airtel Kenya staff saying such a unity of purpose touched his heart and he believes it would help offer the necessary relief to the victims of the fire, offering them the lost comfort as they heal and reconstruct their lives from the tragic occurrence.
Bhargava went on to say that the company has now opened a contribution line on its Airtel Money platform through which Airtel staff are sending in their cash donations for the same cause.
“Our staff are making personal contributions from Sh50 upwards towards this initiative. Besides the material donations, the blood donated by our staff will help reduce the pain and suffering of the fire victims that are recovering at the hospitals”, explained Bhargava.
Bhargava went on to add that “Airtel and its staff will always endeavour to complement the efforts of the government and other humanitarian agencies towards relief efforts and the improvement of the standards of living of the people of Kenya in the true spirit of Harambee, urging other corporate peers join in the relief efforts for the Sinai victims at this early stage.
In May this year Airtel donated Sh16 million to Kenya Red Cross to support the Drought Response Initiative.
The funds have been used to provide supplementary feeding to 25,000 school-going children in Marsabit, Turkana, Mandera, Ijara, Garissa, Wajir and Tana River counties.
The areas are currently smarting from effects of a prolonged drought which has resulted in very high school-dropout rates.
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