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Tendai Rupapa
Senior Reporter
ENCOURAGED by the work being done by First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa and her Angel of Hope Foundation in easing the plight of victims of various disasters and vulnerable communities, a local plastic, soap-making and waste management concern, LowForth Investments, has donated 1,5 tonnes of laundry soap and 1 000 buckets for onward distribution to the needy.

The First Lady is the country’s health and child care ambassador who has been leading from the front in mobilising resources for vulnerable and marginalised communities.

She has also been holding interactive sessions with communities on the best ways to prevent Covid-19 and distributing face masks, sanitisers and food to the people.

Her interventions have been timely as the country is under lockdown to prevent the deadly pandemic, which has killed thousands of people globally and pulled back the global economy by many factors.

Zimbabwe has not been spared as it has lost over 1 300 people to the pandemic and is grappling with challenges of domestic violence and juvenile delinquency, which rear their ugly head in the lockdown, hence the First Lady’s intervention.

In handing over the donation at Zimbabwe House in Harare yesterday, LowForth Investments representative Mr Zvandiri Born-Awake Kapururira passed condolences to President Mnangagwa and the First Lady for the sad loss of over 1 000 people, including five national heroes due to Covid-19.

“In the past years and couple of weeks, we were very saddened to see many Zimbabweans in the Eastern region of Chimanimani and surrounding areas being displaced by serious floods caused by heavy torrential rain,” he said.

“As a result, many people died, a great number of people have lost their homes and property. Bridges and roads were destroyed or badly damaged, business and normal life of the people are interrupted.

“As the effects of the natural disaster are still with us, the suffering of the people still lingers and many people are waiting in a desperate situation for urgent aid and relief.

“In this regard, Lowforth Investments cherishes so much the philanthropic work being carried by Amai through the Angel of Hope Foundation in assisting the affected and marginalised communities. We are pleased to announce our readiness to assist the First Lady through her Angel of Hope in alleviating the lives of the underprivileged and keeping our environment clean.”

Mr Kapururira described the donation as a token of the sincere support his company has for the work being done by Angel of Hope Foundation.

“We have witnessed what Amai has been doing with the Angel of Hope Foundation, so we felt compelled to assist. We felt there are vulnerable groups that are among us that need assistance and our First Lady has been working hard in assisting them,” he said.

In receiving the donation, the First Lady who was represented by the Foundation’s board vice chairperson Mrs Chipo Mtasa, said since inception, the foundation has been proactive in the quest to better the plight of the marginalised, underprivileged, women, youth and children.

“Our core principles are three-fold and these are to shore up vulnerable populations in having their quota entrée to health productions and services that will enable them to lead health wholesome lives, to support underprivileged women and youth in acquiring wherewithal the resources they need to become secure and earn a noble living and to act in response to communities by addressing both economic and social vulnerabilities enabling them to be economically empowered an meet the demands of their livelihood.”

She said soap was a basic commodity which had proven effective in the fight against Covid-19 through washing hands, overall cleaning of surfaces and the maintenance of good hygiene.

“This thoughtful donation is complementary as buckets are essential for the storage of clean water in remote areas. This endorsement will go a long way in helping the marginalised and underprivileged in remote areas to access this much-needed sanitation product.”

Amai Mnangagwa encouraged other indigenous companies to help those in need in societies since “we are all brothers and sisters.”

“Angel of Hope Foundation has no donation that is too big or too small, please, whatever you have will go very far in touching lives,” she said.

Yesterday’s donation will complement the already running programmes being undertaken by the First Lady to cushion vulnerable families.