From China with love: UCC alumni fund shipment of PPE equipment to Cork
A CHINESE University has cemented its ongoing collaboration with UCC by shipping 10,000 face masks to Cork for use by front-line healthcare workers.
The Minzu University of China (MZU) in Beijing, which has been partnered with UCC for a number of years, has organised the valuable shipment.
Separately, UCCs Beijing office has also organised an initiative offering alumni living and working in China to donate to a fund aimed at buying Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers back home.
The first shipment of face masks and gowns has already arrived at the Cork University Hospital, funded by the former students who have reached out to help their alma mater during the COVID-19 crisis.
Emma Connolly of UCCs International Office said the mutual support received from across the university community has come as a welcome “silver lining at this most uncertain of times.”
She said that, since the end of January, after the first reports of devastating impact the Coronavirus was having in China, UCC has been sending message of support to the Chinese people.
“Little did we think at the time this would come full-circle, and we are now inundated by goodwill messages from China and offers from alumni to send us PPE,” said Emma.
“This definite silver lining during the very strange times we find ourselves in, is a sign of the sheer strength of genuine mutual support felt by all involved in Sino-Irish relationships,” she added.
Last month, UCC took the opportunity to make the delivery of parchments to recent graduates living in China that little bit more special.
The university’s International and Beijing Offices arranged for each UCC graduate living in China to receive, in addition to their parchment, face masks and a specially-designed bookmark in honour of their graduation.
Upon receiving their packages, several of them took to social media to share photos of the special deliveries.
They also shared a glimpse into how they were marking the occasion during the lockdown period.
“Many of these graduates had been planning to return to Cork in February for their conferrings, but were forced to cancel their travel plans due to the pandemic,” said Emma.