Paramount Holdings Limited (PHL) has donated K500, 000 to Rachel Kalima of MATERNITY WORLDWIDE MALAWI- a social worker devoted to the well-being of childbearing mothers in Zomba district.
The company has also donated branded premium quality safety gear, which Kalima will use when riding a Yamaha motorcycle from Zomba to Lilongwe to raise fund for needy mothers.
PHL is the official importer and seller of Yamaha Motorcycle and Yamaha Products from Yamaha Japan and also a leading supplier and distributor of farm inputs, life-saving medical equipment and other mechanical items.
Its assistance to Kalima is in response to an appeal from Kalima to help her in raising K30 million, which will go towards supporting 91 women who were affected by Tropical Cyclone Freddy in the district.
Writing on her social media platforms, including Facebook, the social worker announced that she would be riding a motorcycle from Zomba to Lilongwe on Saturday this week to raise the said funds.She appealed to the public to support her.
When they saw the appeal, the management of PHL sought an audience with her, seeking the nitty-gritty information on the initiative.PHL Managing Director Prakash Ghedia said they donated to the initiative to ensure people coming from evacuation camps are settling easily in their homes.
Ghedia stressed that as a company authorized to import and sell Yamaha motorcycles and their spare parts in Malawi, they felt the need to be part of the cause, since Kalima will also use a Yamaha motorcycle on her fundraising initiative.
“A young girl riding a Yamaha 125 CC bike from Zomba to Lilongwe it’s not easy. We support girls to ride motorbikes in Malawi. PHL has always been there when a need arises in the communities we work. Zomba is one of the districts where we have our outlets selling various farm inputs and; as such, we felt we should partner with Kalima in meeting the need that is there,” he said.
In her remarks, Kalima thanked PHL for being the first entity to respond to her call for support. “I am so thankful to all who are assisting in this initiative, including Paramount Holdings Limited.
The funds will help flood victims from the area of Traditional Authority Chikowi and Mwambo in Zomba,” she said.
This is not the first time PHL is donating to a cause meant to improve the provision of healthcare services in under-resourced facilities in Malawi.
Last year, Paramount Holdings Limited mobilized medical, hospital equipment, and ambulance from a Japanese company – Itochu – which was donated to Therere Health Centre in Chikwawa before donating state-of-the-art equipment to Area 25 Health Centre in Lilongwe.
The donation to Area 25 Health Centre was in response to President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera who appealed to development partners as well as the corporate entities to partner with the Malawi Government in improving the quality of healthcare in public facilities.
PHL also donated food supplies to feed affected families through the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DODMA).
