Esther Lungu partners with Airtel Zambia to donate bicycles to Safe Motherhood Action Group

Zambia’s First Lady, Mrs. Esther Lungu in partnership with Airtel Networks Zambia Plc has donated 135 bicycles to Safe Motherhood Action Groups (SMAGs) in a bid to enhance maternal child health initiatives.

Some of the K145,000 worth bicycles have been donated to three health facilities in Mkushi where Mrs. Lungu officiated at this year’s National Safe Motherhood Week.

Speaking during the handover of the bicycles to Mrs. Lungu in Mkushi, Airtel’s Territory Sales Manager, Mr. Chiinga Kangwa said Airtel was committed to interventions that centered on most especially maternal and child health.

“We are delighted to have partnered with the Esther Lungu Foundation Trust (ELFT) in order to create synergies in a continued bid to compliment Government’s efforts to improve health care especially in rural settings such as where we are today in Mkushi,” Mr Kangwa said.

Mrs. Lungu thanked Airtel Zambia for their continued support to the Esther Lungu Foundation Trust. She said the partnership had enabled community health workers acquire the much needed mobility aids to enhance their community based maternal and child health activities.

“We are truly grateful to Airtel for their continued support as this has made it easier for the community workers to do their job,” Mrs. Lungu said.

Airtel last year partnered with the Esther Lungu Foundation Trust (ELFT) to support community-based maternal and child health interventions which is a key area that Airtel continues to be involved with.

The aim of maternal health project intervention is to help reduce on early pregnancies and maternal mortality mainly due to child marriages in the province which currently stood at 71%.

The beneficiaries of the bicycles are community based maternal and child health workers linked to health centres who volunteer to undertake initiatives including antenatal and postnatal care in their quest to contribute towards the reduction of maternal and neonatal deaths.

So far, a total of One Hundred and Seventy-Six (176) bicycles have been purchased for distribution to community health workers committed to improving the maternal, neonatal and child health with the latest distribution having been done in Mkushi, Chalata and Chibefwe areas.

In October last year, Airtel joined the ELFT team in Northern Province where a similar donation of bicycles was made to over 15 facilities covering 6 districts in Luapula province.

Source: Airtel Zambia