HARARE – Zimbabwe’s Covid-19 disaster effort received a major boost on Wednesday when money transfer agency, Access Forex, committed US$200,000.
The announcement came as Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube launched an international appeal for support to aid Zimbabwe’s preparedness for the global pandemic, although the country has so far only declared eight cases including one death.
Access Forex said it wanted the funding to go towards “vulnerable segments of society and communities across Zimbabwe” which were already reeling from the negative impact of drought, and are now faced with the disruption of the global coronavirus outbreak.
“The recent drought, which has resulted in a food crisis in the country coupled with the economic slowdown, and the Covid-19 pandemic as well as the resultant subsequent lockdown, have had debilitating effects on families and communities,” the company, a subsidiary of micro-finance institution, Access Finance, said in a statement.
Launching his aid appeal Wednesday, Ncube said the government was appealing for aid in “cash, or in kind or even in the form of ideas.”
George Chirwa, the executive director of Access Forex, said: “We are a Zimbabwean business and as such we have some corporate social responsibilities. We believe that local organisations and people can play a big role in resolving Zimbabwe’s current challenges.
“This initiative is our small way as a responsible corporate to support the ZWL100 million fund recently announced by the finance minister. The government needs help from all of us to deal with these challenges.”
The company said it would work in partnership with churches, NGOs and the government to provide food aid in the form of hampers to the vulnerable and needy.
The intervention will begin in Harare, Bulawayo and Victoria Falls before being rolled out to the rest of Zimbabwe.
“Since most Zimbabweans are currently unemployed and are largely surviving on informal sector activities, they have been badly exposed to this situation and need help to go through these times of adversity,” Chirwa said.
Access Forex runs a bureau de change and international money transfer service for Zimbabweans in the diaspora, mainly in the United Kingdom and South Africa.
Chirwa also challenged other corporate citizens, individuals and Zimbabweans in the diaspora to join the effort, and contribute to the goal of committing US$1 million to serve those in need.
