Dalbit Petroleum, Belgravia Services Limited, and Ndola Energy Company Limited Offers US$200,000 Donation to Beit-CURE and Zambian Ministry of Health
Mr Mabvuto Nyirenda, Executive Director, Southern Region (NECL, Dalbit Petroleum and BSL) delivers his speech at the handover of the donated materials in Lusaka today.
Dalbit Petroleum, Belgravia Services Limited (BSL) and Ndola Energy Company Limited (NECL) have today donated US$200,000 to CURE International and the Zambian Ministry of Health to support their efforts to increase the supply of medical equipment as they look to slow the spread of Covid-19.
US$100,000 has been allocated directly to Beit-CURE Hospital in Lusaka. This money will support CURE International, an organisation carrying out corrective surgery on children in need worldwide. The funds allocated to Beit-CURE hospital have been used to procure face masks, face shields, examination gloves, sanitizers and hygiene soaps. Parts of the funds have been used to support Covid-19 testing among CURE patients and health care workers to enhance infection control and protection.
CURE International was chosen by Dalbit Petroleum, BSL and NECL due to its long history of serving the most vulnerable children in the regions in which it operates. This partnership will allow CURE to carry out their valuable work of tending to children with treatable conditions.
The other half amounting to US$100,000 has been used to procure various medical equipment and supplies for onward donation to the people of Zambia through the Ministry of Health. This procurement and donation has been done in conjunction with CURE International.
The items being donated to the Ministry of Health are:
• 2 ventilators
• 2000 bottles of 400mls sanitisers
• 3050 tablets of 175g medicated soaps
• 12,000 face shields
• 12,000 surgical masks
• 10,290 N-95 masks
• 12,000 Nitril Exam globes
• 500 Hazmat suits
The donation will enhance infection control within the hospital through improved access to PPE for health care workers, patients and their parents or guardians, many of whom cannot afford to buy the equipment. It will also enable high-quality medical care to clients infected with Covid-19.
Commenting on the partnership, Mabvuto Nyirenda, Executive Director, Southern Region NECL, Dalbit Petroleum and BSL, said:
In times of crisis, it is often the most marginalised that are forgotten. And it is thanks to organisations like CURE that those in society, who are most in need of a helping hand, are not left behind during the coronavirus pandemic and that pre-existing inequalities do not widen.
We are honoured here at NECL, Dalbit Petroleum and BSL to partner with an organisation that is doing such important work.
Frida Kabaso Phiri, Executive Director of CURE Zambia added:
This donation comes at a time when it is most needed to maintain our high standards of infection control within the hospital, meaning that our patients will continue to receive the best possible medical care available. The equipment is also important to create a safe working environment for our staff, patients and parents or guardians, many who come from economically challenged backgrounds.
Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, CURE International has worked hard to form partnerships aimed at mitigating the spread of the virus across Africa, working alongside governments and other community-led initiatives.
Each business has formed close bonds with their local communities and intends to support people even in the most challenging of times. Last year, paediatric equipment, valued at US$145,000, was given to the Arthur Davison Children’s Hospital in Zambia by Dalbit Petroleum, BSL and NECL. The hospital leadership has since acknowledged that the equipment has gone a long way in supporting the delivery of quality health services, alleviating the suffering in the community.
Today’s donation is only one part of the wider efforts by Janus Continental Group (JCG) —Dalbit, BSL and NECL’s holding company—to support CURE International in its attempts to fight Covid-19 across the continent. To date, JCG has donated US$437,500 in total to CURE with $200,000 allocated to Mozambique and $25,000 and $12,500 donated to Kenya and Uganda respectively.
In her comments, Margaret Mbaka, Acting Chair of JCG said:
Warnings of a second wave from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention must be heeded. Supporting communities has always been one of our defining values, and now, just as the fight takes a turn for the worse, is not the time to abandon this tradition. The WHO earlier this year called for a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to addressing Covid-19. And as a responsible business, we must continue to meet our societal obligations.
Ms Mbaka further stated:
This donation will ensure that CURE is able to provide PPE and other medical equipment so that its healthcare operations can continue throughout the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond. This represents part of JCG’s efforts. We will continue to work 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.
The donations also show the huge potential of public-private sector partnerships to bolster the efforts of civil society and healthcare institutions. It reflects the spirit in which JCG and CURE International aim to continue to work, as public and private organisations rally together in the fight against Covid-19 in Zambia and across the globe.
For more information, please contact:
JCG:
Kawiria Rincuni
Tel: +254 701 814 857 in Nairobi office hours.
Email: press@januscontinental.com
Mabvuto C. Nyirenda
Tel: +260 97 779 4072
Email: mnyirenda@ndolaenergy.com
CURE International:
Frida Kabaso Phiri
Executive Director
Cell: +260-977373713
Email: Frida.Kabaso@cureinternational.org
About Janus Continental Group
Janus Continental Group is an African conglomerate comprising of market-leading companies in the energy, hospitality and real estate sectors. It operates in eight countries, has nine brands and over 2,000 employees and is considered a true African success story.
The company has a long philanthropic history. We believe that our investment in people and communities serves as a catalyst in unlocking the great potential of the countries where we operate. Our key community focus areas include education, health, community development and the conservation of wildlife and the environment.
In Zambia, JCG currently operates three companies, and these are Dalbit Petroleum Limited, Belgravia Services Limited and Ndola Energy Company Limited.
About Dalbit Petroleum
Dalbit Petroleum is an affiliate of Janus Continental Group, established in 2008.The firm is a petroleum supply company that offers energy solutions across the continent, with a presence in seven countries. Its Zambia operations have supported the supply of fuel to the country’s Ministry of Energy. The company is also servicing various corporations on bulk supply basis.
About Belgravia Services Limited
Belgravia Services Limited is an engineering, procurement and construction company and an affiliate of the Janus Continental Group. The company constructs and maintains fuel supply infrastructure in the Eastern, Southern and Central Africa region.
About Ndola Energy Company Limited
Ndola Energy Company Limited was founded in 2010 and is an affiliate of Great Lakes Africa Energy UK, a subsidiary of the Janus Continental Group. The firm runs the 105MW Ndola Power Plant, which has been operational since 2013. All the power generated is dispatched to ZESCO Limited, into the national grid.
About CURE International
Beit-CURE hospital has been operating in Zambia since 2006. It is a faith based hospital that provides medical and spiritual care to its patients and provides expert medical and other training for its employees and associates. The hospital in Zambia is part of an international (USA) foundation of established rehabilitation hospitals, dedicated to meeting the medical and spiritual needs of economically disadvantaged and physically disabled children in its countries of operation.
CURE Zambia is one of the few hospitals in Zambia that adequately addresses the surgical needs of children with disabilities in the country as we offer free treatment to children below the age of 18. Services at the hospital are focused on pediatric orthopedics, reconstructive plastic surgery and the ear, nose and throat treatment.
Through the work done at our hospital and at various mobile clinics, CURE Zambia is addressing the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of those who need help most. Considering that CURE provides services to the economically challenged families who cannot afford to pay the market price for the services and would otherwise have no access to such services, we depend on the financial and in kind support from various institutions and individuals for the hospital to continue providing quality services to the disadvantaged communities and also for us to increase our coverage and scope.