JB donates K1m to Malawi Red Cross, inaugurates flag week

President of the Malawi Red Cross society Levison Chingole presenting a gift to president Banda – Pic. By Kenneth Jali, Mana ©
President of the Malawi Red Cross society Levison Chingole presenting a gift to president Banda – Pic. By Kenneth Jali, Mana ©

Malawi President Joyce Banda has inaugurated the annual Red Cross flag week with a call on people and organizations to come forward and support the Malawi Red Cross to continue carrying out humanitarian services across the country.

President Banda also  donated KI million to the Malawi Red Cross Society (MRCS) to help in its humanitarian activities of alleviating the plight of vulnerable people in the country.

Banda who is also patron of the Red Cross Society said the importance of Red Cross cannot be over emphasized as it acts as an auxiliary to government to provide humanitarian and other services during times of emergencies and disasters.

“In the past 12 months, we have seen extensive flooding in a number of districts and the Malawi Red Cross has been there to help the victims who have so far managed to build 100 new earthquake resistant houses to the victims of the 2009 earthquakes in Karonga,” observed  President Banda.

Banda also hailed the society for its effort in initiating safe motherhood projects citing districts of Kasungu and Ntchisi as vivid examples where the movement recently carried out operations aimed at improving the quality of life for both mothers and newborn babies.

Commenting on this year’s Flag Week which is being commemorated under the theme ‘rebuilding lives of the most vulnerable people’, President Banda urged companies to invest in the social welfare of the needy in this country.

On his part, President of MRCS, Levison Changole asked the Malawi leader to lobby for the resumption of funding to the institution for thorough execution of its duties.

The Malawi Red Cross society stopped receiving funding in 1994 from government and since then it has been relying on international donor assistance and individual contributions.

“Since the stoppage of the government funding, we have been facing challenges in executing different humanitarian activities to the needy.

“However, we would have wished if government considered allocating the movement a subvention to aid our operations,” requested Changole.

The movement aims to collect at least K20million this year for humanitarian activities, according to Changole.

President Banda is presented with a bouquet of flowers at the official launching of the 2013 Red CrossCrescent week – Pic. By Kenneth Jali, Mana ©
President Banda is presented with a bouquet of flowers at the official launching of the 2013 Red CrossCrescent week – Pic. By Kenneth Jali, Mana ©

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