Zimpapers sets up Covid-19 campaign

THE Zimbabwe Newspapers (1980) Limited Group will on May 31 launch a national fundraising campaign to mobilise resources in cash and kind towards the national response to Covid-19 to complement what President Mnangagwa and the Government as well as the private sector, donors and individuals, are doing to fight the pandemic.

The campaign will see all the Group’s platforms — print, digital, television and radio — mobilising audiences across the country and globe to lend a hand to the Covid-19 response.

While the Group has been running an educational campaign on Covid-19 with all its newspaper and broadcast platforms, running with information aimed at educating the public about Covid-19 since March, the fundraising initiative is meant to rally Zimbabweans, both locally and globally, to go a step further and give towards the Covid-19 cause. Beneficiaries of the campaign will include frontline workers, the elderly, the disabled, the underprivileged children and other vulnerable groups.

Zimpapers Chief Executive Mr Pikirayi Deketeke said the effects of Covid-19 would be felt by generations to come, adding that the pandemic has affected communities in many different ways, with some losing loved ones and others losing livelihoods, while others find themselves living with daily risk due to the work they do.

He said Zimpapers is therefore tapping into its ability to reach out to millions of people at any given time to support Government and other players’ efforts in the response to Covid-19.

“With this campaign, we are inviting Zimbabweans to come together to contribute to the national Covid-19 response. There are not enough test kits and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for those who need them. There are also heartbreaking personal stories of people who are struggling to put food on the table, which our reporters are highlighting daily through our platforms. With winter fully upon us now, our hearts go out to those thousands who do not have enough warm clothing or blankets. Colds and coughs are very common in this season and we anticipate that there will be rising needs for flu medicines, vitamins and related essentials. With us coming together to contribute what we can, we will make a difference in someone’s life”, said Mr Deketeke.

He chronicled how Zimbabweans have in the past stood alongside Zimpapers and its shared values of nationhood/ hunhu/ ubuntu in the Cyclone Idai mobilisation drive which saw members of the public drop in their donations ranging from foodstuffs, blankets and clothing at Zimpapers offices across the country.

The same happens annually when the Group mobilises support for cancer awareness through its Cancer Power Walk with corporates and individuals chipping in.

For Cyclone Idai, Zimpapers mobilised water, foodstuffs, clothing, blankets and some money that was donated to the Government while the company is also helping to rebuild a school in Chimanimani that was extensively damaged by the cyclone.

“None of us can go at it alone. As a business we are going to channel some resources to the cause. We are also donating space and airtime daily to Covid-19 educative material as our way of keeping all our stakeholders informed. We invite you to join us in this cause to keep our people safe and alive.”

The fundraising campaign will run under the tagline #TogetherWeStandTogetherWeWin.

Zimpapers platforms and personalities will throughout this campaign interact with the public as the Group amplifies stories and experiences of communities in this Covid-19 era. A separate bank account and merchant code has been created for this campaign with Zimpapers committing to accounting for all donations as the campaign runs.

All Zimpapers offices across Zimbabwe will serve as collection points where the public can drop in their donations.