NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 24 – African conglomerate Janus Continental Group (JCG) has offered a US$ 437,500 donation to CURE International to support efforts to step-up the supply of medical equipment, including PPE, ventilators and PCR machines in Kenya, Zambia, Uganda and Mozambique as they work to manage the spread of coronavirus and continue to carry out their service to the community safely.
US$200,000 will be allocated to Mozambique and Zambia with $25,000 and $12,500 to Kenya and Uganda respectively. In total, today’s donation will help purchase 80,000 pieces of PPE, three ventilators and one PCR machine across the four countries.
The money will go to CURE International, an organization selected because of its long history in the region and vast experience running hospitals and working in communities, carrying out corrective surgery on children from needy families.
But for CURE to keep carrying out their valuable work—healing children with treatable conditions through surgical care, and running mobile health clinics—it is vital that they have enough PPE to protect their doctors, nurses and patients.
CURE will also facilitate the transfer of PPE purchased by JCG to the Ministries of Health in Mozambique and Zambia. Having the right equipment available is essential to preventing transmission, and is a vital part of the strategies of every Ministry of Health as they work to contain COVID-19.
Commenting on the partnership, Rikin Shah, CEO of JCG said: “In times of crisis, it is often the most marginalized that are forgotten. And it is thanks to organizations like CURE, that those in society who most need a helping hand are not left behind in the coronavirus pandemic, widening pre-existing inequalities. We are honored to partner with an organization that is engaging in such important work.”
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, CURE International has been at the forefront of providing support and has, over the past, forged various partnerships aimed at mitigating the spread of coronavirus across Africa. Through these partnerships, CURE International has played a role in supporting the extensive efforts by governments and multi-agency task forces to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. This requires a very high level of caution, preparedness and resources.
The donation from JCG will make sure that CURE International has facilities well prepared to take care of the critically sick patients if called upon to. There is also a constant need for extra PPE kits, masks, gloves and all the necessary equipment to ensure that patients seeking health services from CURE hospitals and other government facilities are well protected. Also, healthcare workers who are in great risk of COVID-19 while in the line of duty greatly benefit from the PPE kits.
The PCR machine will also add to the matrix of safe care that CURE International ascribes to; the testing machine will make sure that even with the pandemic, children living with disabilities are not left behind. They continue to receive the much-needed world class services at the CURE hospitals without the worry of COVID-19 infection. CURE will also work to support the bigger healthcare ecosystem in providing testing services.
Commenting on the donation, Peter Kyalo, CURE International Chief of Programs, said: ‘‘Children living with disabilities are not the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. But they risk being among the biggest victims. They were already marginalized before this pandemic and COVID-19 has just made it worse for them. How do we expect a child that cannot walk to social distance, how do we expect a girl that has been crawling since birth to wash their hands and sanitize all the time, when they need help to even access any of those hand washing points? I am therefore glad that Janus Continental has seen the plight of these children and chosen to act.’’
JCG, an African multinational comprising market-leading companies in the energy, petroleum, construction, hospitality, and real estate sectors, has a long philanthropic history.
Rikin Shah further stated: “The WHO is calling for a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to addressing COVID-19. As a responsible business, we are acutely aware of our obligations to the rest of society. Supporting communities has always been one of our defining values, and now is not the time to abandon our tradition of supporting those around us. We see ourselves as having a role to play in minimizing the damage this pandemic inflicts on Africans, and we are doing everything in our power to carry out that task.This donation will ensure that CURE is able to provide the essential PPE and other medical equipment to allow its healthcare operations to operate throughout the COVID pandemic and beyond. This represents part of JCG’s efforts. We are working with partners on the ground across East and Southern Africa to support their brave efforts, ensuring that we, in the private sector, do our part.”
This announcement builds on the financial assistance JCG companies have provided in Kenya, Uganda and Mauritius. Specifically, a grant of $200,000 was awarded to Amref Health Africa to support coronavirus testing activities in Kenya in collaboration with the Ministry of Health. In Uganda, five Nissan Double Cabin Pickups were handed over to the COVID-19 taskforce, which are helping transport medical workers and distribute food across Uganda.
This is an illustration of JCG’s sincere and enduring commitment to the countries and communities in which JCG operates. Each business forms close bonds with the people in their operating countries and intends to support those people in good times and bad.
The donations also show the huge potential of public and private sector partnership, bolstering the efforts of civil society and healthcare institutions. The donation represents a spirit that JCG and CURE International hope will continue, as public and private organizations rally together in the fight against coronavirus in Kenya, Zambia, Mozambique, Uganda and across the globe.
