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(MENAFN – African Press Organization) CAPE TOWN, South Africa, May 13, 2020 / APO Group / –
The ELMA Foundations Group (https://www.ELMAPhilanthropies.org/) has announced a commitment of ZAR 2 billion to respond to COVID-19 and mitigate its impact on low-income and African communities. A minimum of ZAR 500 million of this commitment is for South Africa and includes an immediate contribution from The ELMA South Africa Foundation (https://bit.ly/3dMnKSF) of ZAR 250 million to the South African Solidarity Fund (https: // bit .ly / 2LrVXuE). The remaining ZAR 250 million will be used to finance a wide range of projects to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 across the country.
Bernadette Moffat, Executive. Dir., The ELMA Philanthropies Services (Africa) (Pty) Ltd. and President of the ELMA Foundation South Africa, states: ‘ELMA has been investing in initiatives to improve the health, education and well-being of children and families and communities who have supported them since 2005. This new commitment to respond to the COVID-19 crisis demonstrates our absolute commitment to Africa and to the children of Africa.
Commenting on the donation to the South African Solidarity Fund, Nomkhita Nqweni, CEO of the Solidarity Fund, said: “ We wish to extend our gratitude to the South African ELMA Foundation for the spirit of partnership that they have shown by working with us to advance the South Africa’s resistance against the COVID-19 pandemic. Collaboration and partnerships like this are a testament to the possibilities that exist when we combine efforts.
In addition to the ZAR250 million donation to the South African Solidarity Response Fund, ELMA is collaborating with other funders and partners on a variety of COVID-19 response initiatives across the continent. One such initiative is to support community health workers and community care workers while responding to the COVID-19 crisis. Ensuring that these essential workers have sufficient personal protective equipment, food, access to tests and psychosocial support is a priority if we want to pass COVID-19. As such, the South African ELMA Foundation is collaborating with the South African Solidarity Response Fund, the Africa Outreach Project Charlize Theron (https://bit.ly/2WteFbt), Johnson and Johnson (https: // bit. ly / 2AhWqwX), The Horace W Goldsmith Foundation, to support an initiative led by the DG Murray Trust (https://bit.ly/3dHuxNd) to provide personal protective equipment and other critical support to more than 120,000 community care workers providing crucial health and social services across South Africa.
“The global COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented crisis for the African continent and requires a momentous response if we are to recover from the devastation it has caused and will cause,” adds Moffat. ‘We must unite in solidarity, especially those with means, so that Africa can overcome and rebuild. ELMA is proud to combine forces with other philanthropists, governments, and civil society organizations that are taking bold action against COVID-19.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The ELMA Group of Foundations.
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