NBM donates towards NPL Mother’s Fun Run

National Bank of Malawi (NBM) plc last week donated eight baby scales worth K550 000 towards this year’s Nation Publication Limited (NPL) Mother’s Fun Run to take place at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (Qech) on October 7 2017.

Speaking when she handed over the scales, NBM corporate affairs manager Annie Magola said through the donation, the bank wants to appreciate the work NPL is doing to ensure that mothers and their unborn babies do not die in public hospitals.

“If we do not help mothers as a bank, then we are not helping ourselves as mothers are our customers, mothers run the homes and help us to do well. As if that is not enough, they also raise our future customers and employees.

“We are aware of the challenges hospitals, including Qech, are facing in the country and, as a bank, we believe we are part of the community, hence we respond by chipping in whenever the need to help our mothers arises,” she said.

Apart from the baby scales, Magola also promised that they will participate in this year’s run to the finish line.

“Our participation this year will not just be by donating items. Our staff will actively participate in the run and we have also extended the invitation to all our customers, especially female customers who will join the run depending on their fitness,” she said.

In her remarks, NPL marketing officer Vanessa Mdala thanked the Malawi stock exchange (MSE)-listed bank, saying their donation gets them closer and closer to their target.

“This year our target is to raise K150 million and the baby scales worth K550 000 donated by NBM gets us closer to achieving our objective for Qech and its health centres,” she said.

The annual initiative aims at promoting safe motherhood through mobilisation of medical supplies and equipment’s for public hospitals.

This year, NPL and its strategic partners through the fun run are raising funds to buy medical supplies and equipment for Qech and its 26 satellite hospitals in Blantyre.

On average, 48 mothers and 648 babies die in Blantyre every year due to delivery complications.