ZAMBIA: Bishops Set Up Covid-19 Response Fund
Mwenya Mukuka
In line with the guidelines provided to us by the Holy See under the COVID-19 Task Force, Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops (ZCCB) has set up a COVID-19 Response Fund (CRF).
This Fund will be housed at Citi Bank, ZEC Lenten Fund, Account Number: 0251000936.
The fund will mainly be used to prevent the spread of the disease in Zambia and give support to health facilities to respond to the pandemic.
Making the announcement on behalf of the Bishops Conference, Rt. Rev. Moses Hamungole said that the Fund will be used to support the Church programs which not only look after the sick and terminally ill, but also the elderly, people living with mental and physical disabilities, orphans and the poor in general.
“This fund will supplement the efforts government has put into place. We therefore urge our Catholic faithful and other people of good will, to heed this call and contribute generously towards this Fund,” he said.
Bishop Hamungole has also urged Zambians to put their hope in the Risen Lord who will deliver them from the power of the Coronavirus and its painful effects.
Meanwhile the Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops (ZCCB) has received donation of various food stuff and hygienic materials from a local company.
Speaking when he received the donation, Rt. Rev. Moses Hamungole noted that the Coronavirus pandemic has come at a time when Zambia is struggling on many fronts to improve the livelihood of the people, especially the poor and vulnerable.
“Last year, we were hit by draught in the southern and western provinces, parts of Lusaka, central and eastern provinces which resulted in many household food levels being very low. To make matters worse, this year, the northern half of our country has had floods which affected their crops leaving many people hungry. The question is ‘How will people survive now that COVID-19 is already beginning to stretch the nation’s recovery?” he questioned.
He noted that in such situation the country could have cried out for help from the international community but this time everyone is fighting the pandemic and using resources to save their citizens.
“We, Catholic Bishops in Zambia, strongly believe that we can mitigate the suffering of the poor and vulnerable by sharing whatever resources we have among us. Those who have more can help those who have less. This way, we will contribute towards resources needed to save many of our people from being infected with the virus, from passing it to others, and from dying with the disease. Indeed, we need to ensure that there is provision of timely health care to those who are sick of whatever disease, including COVID-19,” he said.
The donated items are being distributed amongst various institutions across the country to mitigate some of the challenges they face such as inadequate financial and resources and drugs during this situation of COVID-19.
The Catholic Church in Zambia runs 59 health facilities situated in all the 10 provinces. Out of these, 22 are Hospitals and 37 are Rural Health Centres.
Apart from our health care facilities, the donated items will be shared with old people’s homes, orphanages and a number of hospices.
#
