The Masonic Charity Fund of Zambia
Helping the Fight Against Covid-19
Left to Right Row:
Sam Abhrams (CEO First Aid Africa), Brother Anil Desai (P.M Falcon Lodge E.C), Brother Mark Luring (P.M Lodge of Unity S.C), Brother Charles Ngandu (P.M Lodge Lusaka S.C), Brother Arne Luring (P.M Lodge of Unity S.C and Chairmain of the MCFZ South).
Left to Right Row:
In the Background, Dr. Shamlin Desai and his team of frontline Health Workers & Lusaka City Council Workers.
By Bro. Mark Luring (Lodge of Unity S.C)
The Masonic Charity Fund of Zambia (MCFZ) is the Umbrella Charity Body of all three active Masonic Constitutions in Zambia made up of the District Grand Lodge of Zambia SC; District Grand Lodge of Zambia EC and Provincial Grand Lodge of Zambia IC. The year 2020 was a challenge for all of us. The MCFZ undertook several activities in support of the countrywide fight against Covid-19.
These are some of the highlights:
Chilenje Market Disinfection & Covid Prevention Education Initiative
In April 2020 the MCFZ South teamed up with the BCCET (Business Coalition Council Emergency Taskforce), a non-profit organisation formed out of the Zambian Private Sector to tackle the challenges faced as a result of the Covid pandemic, and First Aid Africa, one of the leading providers of emergency healthcare education and equipment in East and Southern Africa. Together they started an initiative to disinfect several open markets in the capital city of Lusaka. Part of the disinfecting exercise was also to educate the marketeers in basic Covid prevention through mask-wearing, washing hands, keeping distance and sanitising. The first market on the list was Chilenje Market in the heart of Lusaka City Center. The MCFZ South donated disinfectant chemicals, cleaning equipment and tools, cash funds and food for the helpers on-site worth a total of ZMW 150,000 (at the time around GBP 6,000) to support this initiative.
In addition, several Brethren from the English and Scottish Masonic Lodges in Lusaka actively participated in supplying transport; distributing masks, sanitising liquid, hygiene and Covid prevention educational pamphlets and posters. The Brethren, with huge support from Brother Kevin Taylor’s wife, provided a lunch buffet for all the city council and medical helpers as well as for the marketeers.
All in all the initiative was a huge success and well-received by all stakeholders. In fact, it was even published the following day on the front page of one of the leading newspapers in the country and appeared on national T.V as well. Such positive and open publicity in the general media is not that common for masonry here in Zambia. So this was very encouraging for the masonic fraternity in Zambia. Watch a short film clip on the Chilenje Market initiative by clicking on the link below:
https://drive.google.com/file/
Firemen spraying disinfectant in the market.
Mrs. Emma Taylor, spouse of Brother Kevin Taylor, serving lunch buffet to the Health Workers, Marketeers and City Council frontline workers after a hard morning’s work disinfecting and cleaning up Chilenje Market.
Surrounding Residents coming for Covid testing. Unfortunately, not mutch Social Distancing happening there!
Ida Waddell, a Mission Partner United Church of Zambia and a Mission Partner from the Church of Scotland working with Mwandi Mission and Njase Clinic, sent us this feedback:
“Your gift of PPE has helped to protect our frontline Health Workers as they deal with Covid 19 patients at our Covid Transit Centre in Choma. Similarly, the fencing you kindly donated has impacted positively by clearly demarcating the clinic and preventing unwanted through traffic.
It helped too, greatly with screening by channelling visitors and patients through the one gate. We were at a loss how to finance all this with you stepping in this meant we gave better support to our other clinics and hospitals. Thank you so much it has been a great work.
Thank you from the church. We really appreciate the help the Masonic Fraternity in Zambia has given us. God bless you all.”
Through our collaboration on the Market Disinfection and Covid Prevention Initiative, the MCFZ South got to know the CEO of the First Aid Africa, Sam Abrahams. Sam informed us of Njase Clinic in Choma District, which hand been converted in to a Covid Isolation and Treatment Center due to its close proximity to the main road between the border towns of Livingstone and Kazungula and the Capital City Lusaka. Njase Clinic was struggling to generate sufficient funds to manage the new task bestowed them. MCFZ donated PPE, disinfectants, and medical supplies to the clinic. When delivering these supplues to the clinic the Brethren learned that there was a Girls School adjacent to the clinic. The clinic management team informed the Brethren that the pupils were now under a significant risk of being exposed to covid contamination as there was no physical boundary between the school and the clinic. This led to the pupils and other passers bye regularly “trespassing” on to the clinic grounds and thus coming in to contact with the patients.
On that, the MCFZ South, the huge support from the Brethren of Lodge David Livingstone SC in nearby Livingstone, erected a fence around the clinic with an entrance gate. Total value of the support provided by the MCFZ to Njase Clinic was ZMW100,000 (GBP5,500). The clinic staff were sincerely grateful to the Masonic fraternity for their support.
Idah Waddell (center), a Mission Partner from the Church of Scotland, surrounded by the Njase Clinic staff and management team show casing some of the PPE received from the MCFZ
Mwandi is a small town on the Zambezi in the district of the same name of the Western Province in Zambia. The town is 120km west of Livingstone, on the M10 road to Sesheke. The village is part of the region known as Barotseland. Approximately 8,000 people live in the village
The Scottish Lodges Lusaka and Nkana with support from the Grand Lodge of Scotland aided Mwandi Mission Hospital with an amount of almost US$10,000 against the fight of Covid 19.
The team at the hospital had the following to say about the help we rendered to them:
“The financial support you rendered us at Mwandi Mission Hospital allowed us to rehabilitate a former traditional T.B ward by putting Aluminium Partitions to make individual isolation rooms which are now in use. This ward is now considered a State of Art facility and has been commended by the Provincial Director of Health who came to see it. Sesheke has been referring patients to us as they cannot isolate patients until they know their status. We again were struggling to do this rehabilitation and very grateful.” (Idah Waddell – Mwandi Mission)