Joyce Banda donates blankets to elderly, orphans: Vows to continue with charity
Malawi former president Joyce Banda on Friday, August 22, 2014 visited the densely populated Nancholi Township in Blantyre where she donated blankets and other assorted items to orphans and elderly widows under the banner of the Joyce Banda Foundation International (JBFI).
Scores of residents in the welcomed the former Head of State with song and dance, rekindling memories when she the leader of the country popular with poverty alleviation initiatives.
When she addressed the enthusiastic crowd, Banda said she had been away (abroad) for more than a month and that it felt good to return home and meet the people.
She said her humble gesture to donate the blankets was a manifestation of how she feels about the
underprivileged, the sick and the poor.
“This is work I have done even before I became a politician; it’s in my blood. With the little resources that the Lord Almighty has blessed me with, I will continue to help marginalized and the less privileged
both through JBFI and as an individual,” she said.
JB, as she is fondly referred to by adorers, said no-one will take away her charity initiatives and that no-one must mistake that for politics.
Banda’s mission in life has been to assist the women and youth gain social and political empowerment through entrepreneurship and education.
She has spent the past thirty years as a development practitioner, a philanthropist and a champion for social justice and equality.
JB has been involved several development and humanitarian work. She established the Joyce Banda Foundation in 1998 and the Foundation provides integrated rural development services to over 300,000
resource poor beneficiaries