Covid-19 Response Private Citizens Initiative of Malawi has received an award from Her Majesty The Queen of the United Kingdom.
Queen Elizabeth II, who is also the head of the Commonwealth, has today awarded the Commonwealth Points of Light award to the Initiative or its work in supporting Malawi Government’s response to coronavirus pandemic.
The Covid Response Private Citizens Initiative spearheaded a crowdfunding campaign that has raised K209.8 million (nearly £207,000) to enable the purchase of oxygen cylinders and associate items, PPE and assorted hospital equipment for distribution in main hospitals across Malawi.
The initiative was launched in January this year after the second wave of the pandemic hit the country.
The initiative, which has been characterized by utmost transparency, accountability, and efficiency in its dealings, also bought food to health works, fixed ambulances and repaired some damaged infrastructures in hospitals that have expressed the greatest need.
British High Commissioner to Malawi, David Beer said the citizen’s initiative complemented Government’s efforts to fight the pandemic in a timely and very effective way at a time when the resilience of the country’s health system was seriously tested.
“Fighting covid-19 needs every one of us to act, and the efforts of the Citizen’s Initiative should serve as an inspiration to us all.”
Deputy Lead Organiser for the initiative Dr Thandiwe Majenda Hara said the initiative brought together Malawians from various sectors on a mission to save Malawians from the deadly virus.
She said: “As a team, we can’t claim we deserve this award any more than the members of the public who brought the initiative to life. The award captures what it means to be “Malawian”. That is: to stand up and do something about a situation rather than to wait for help, to be proud to do something for the nation, to jump in and to be part of it!
I dedicate the award to each and every one of the Malawians who demonstrated what it means to be Malawian. You are the stars. On behalf of all these people, I say thanks to her Majesty’s Government for recognising these outstanding citizens”
The Commonwealth Points of Light awards celebrate inspirational acts of volunteering across the Commonwealth and help inspire others to make their own contribution to tackling some of the greatest social challenges of our time, including the current COVID-19 pandemic.
The Points of Light awards recognise outstanding volunteers whose service is making a difference in their communities and whose story can inspire others to creative innovative solutions to social challenges in their own communities and beyond.
