Tendai Rupapa Senior Reporter

DIRTY surfaces harbour germs and other antigens and to promote good hygienic practices, health ambassador First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa, yesterday handed over a tonne of scouring powder to the Ministry of Health and Child Care to ensure walls, kitchens, bathrooms and corridors of hospitals and clinics are sparkling clean.

The consignment was donated to her Angel of Hope Foundation by the Zimbabwe Integrated Traders Association (ZITA), through one of its affiliate companies which felt compelled to complement the life-changing work being done countrywide by the First Lady.

It is not the first time that the First Lady, through her Angel of Hope Foundation, has donated to health facilities.

She frequently donates liquid soap to referral hospitals in Harare and Bulawayo as part of measures to protect patients and workers from infectious diseases through improved hygiene.

Angel of Hope Foundation works with many well-wishers mobilising resources and the mother of the nation ensures all donated goods reach the intended beneficiaries.

Presenting the scouring powder, Mr Robert Bhamu, the president of ZITA, praised the First Lady for her interventions in various communities around the country.

“Amai we are complementing the work that you are doing. We have seen the great works that you are doing across the country in various areas, working with vulnerable communities, working with children, working with women. We have an affiliate company called Geoglobal Unit Mining Company which has a product called Sparkling and through that company as ZITA we are donating to you a tonne of scouring powder each month for the next six months.

“In total, we are donating six tonnes of scouring powder to you Amai so that you then allocate the consignment as you deem it fit.

We know that your allocation will go exactly where it is really needed. Amai as time goes on we are going to be knocking doors to other affiliates within the organisation to see how best we can come to complement the great work that you are doing,” he said.

A hands-on and action-oriented person, Dr Mnangagwa immediately handed over the consignment to the Ministry of Health and Child Care represented by Dr Stephen Banda.

She said all hospitals, including those run by churches, should benefit.

“There are major referral Government hospitals and others belonging to churches like Karanda. May you please see to it that they also benefit. We have Parirenyatwa Hospital, Mbuya Nehanda, Sally Mugabe Central Hospital, Chitungwiza Central Hospital, Ingutsheni, Mpilo and United Bulawayo Hospitals. Give them this scouring powder for their floors in kitchens, canteen, passages that lead into wards need to be cleaned thoroughly. This helps curb diseases that may arise because there is too much traffic of people coming in and going out and our patients will be vulnerable and contract diseases easily. If we chip in however we can, we would have helped so much. This is for cleanliness and cleaning of hospitals,” she said.

Dr Mnangagwa said her foundation did not look down upon any donation since everything has great use somewhere in the country.

“Angel of Hope Foundation does not look down upon any donation that comes through because it helps someone. We are now talking of the scouring powder that has come with ZITA and it has come in my other area of focus that is of health. Staying in a clean environment is the first thing before we go to hospitals. We are saying women, even in rural areas, let us keep the environment clean.

“This helps lower diseases so that our hospitals are not overwhelmed by things that we can prevent. I would be grateful if you figure out how to spread it, for cleaning.

“Looking at this firm which needs to grow. Thank you very much for coming up with such an initiative and thinking of everyone. That thoughtfulness of thinking about other people in areas where we stay, in areas like hospitals is very important.

That is why I invited the Ministry of Health and Child Care so that you can take this up and make sure you put it to good use for the cleanliness of hospitals,” she said.

Dr Mnangagwa praised the firm for its thoughtfulness and care for the welfare of others.

“To you, ZITA I want to thank you very much for what you have done today and what made you think of donating a tonne of this powder instead of making money. You could have said why should we go there because we want to make money, but you put that aside and thought of coming with the powder to help me in the endeavours that I am doing in the country. I cannot do this alone without your support. We also have other clinics in rural areas around the country and these also need to be covered. I would say you should be there to see how we do it when we go for outreach programmes,” she said.

Dr Banda promised that the scouring powder would be put to good use.

“We want to thank our mother, Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa. On behalf of Angel of Hope Foundation, she has donated a tonne of scouring powder.

“We have assured the First Lady that the donation is going to be distributed fairly to all our institutions and we will also share with her how we would have distributed that. We use it in our kitchens, bathrooms and corridors.

“Cleanliness is next to Godliness and therefore, we want to thank the Angel of Hope Foundation,” Dr Banda said. – Herald