09 April 2022
Charlene Thabisile Mguni
The sole provider of fixed telephone network, TelOne has donated groceries and blankets for Entembeni Old people’s home situated in Bulawayo’s Luveve suburb.
The donation which took place yesterday morning comes as part of TelOne’s social corporate responsibility.
TelOne is following the government’s sustainability development goals of eradicating poverty by 2030.
“One of the sustainability development goals is eradication of poverty and on that pillar, we do social welfare and activities which show that TelOne is a responsible corporate and we are not operating in a vacuum”, said Mrs Chipo Mutasa, the Managing Director of TelOne.
Entembeni is a residential home for the old which was established from 1967.
It is currently a home to 59 inmates including 36 males and 23 females. The oldest male in mate came from the Republic of Congo years back is 102 years old.
The home has 10 working stuff and 12 volunteers.
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TelOne donated blankets in consideration of the the approaching winter season and basic commodities that are an everyday necessity at the home.
The fixed network giant donated 200 kgs of mealie meal, 100 kgs of rice, 50 kgs soya chucks, salt, beans, cooking oil, bathing and washing soap, sugar and flour.
Mutasa explained that Internet usage by the public assisted TelOne to make the donations.
“We want to remember you our elders, because you the one who have raised us and given birth to us to be able to do businesses, so today we are just saying thank you, because you are all precious and have made everything we are doing possible”, said Mutasa before handing over the donations to the elderly.
Newman Sibanda, the board chairman of Entembeni Old People’s home coveyed his gratitude to TelOne, expressing how they were in need of the donations.
“We are a donor funded institutions, whatever we receive, we say Thank God, we were praying last week to just have cooking oil, and now we have received, may God bless you. Our God has answered our prayers through TelOne. We wrote a lot of letters to institutions, but God said we have your children TelOne who are going to come and help you, Thank you so much TelOne”.
The Administrator of Entembeni Mrs Naome Khumalo, explained to ZIM GBC NEWS that she was grateful for the donation especially for relish and mealie meal as it is usually the most essential basics.
At the end of the event, during our interviews with, Sibanda and Khumalo, they highlighted that the institution has a ward that has been turned into a mini clinic.
The ‘hospital’ is in dire need of medical supplies and detergents. Again, the corporate world is being called to assist in this regard.
ZIM GBC NEWS