Steven Klukowski
KEETMANSHOOP – As part of its corporate social responsibility, beer brewing giant ABInBev donated mattresses, blankets and pillows worth more than N$200 000 to seven old-age homes and other elderly people at the Women’s Action for Development (WAD) Centre in Keetmanshoop last weekend.
Reading the statement of the regional governor on her behalf, Keetmans mayor Gaudentia Kröhne said government has been doing everything in its power to lighten the plight of the elderly with social grants as well as the recently launched food bank, but still needs help from private investors.
She commended ABInBev for donating the much-needed items, saying the south of Namibia can at times experience very cold and harsh temperatures during winter. Kröhne said the region’s elderly were now assured of a warm and comfortable winter.
Ida Hoffmann, representative of the ABInBev Namibia //Kharas Trust Foundation, in her speech informed the audience that “it took a lot of time, lot of guts, pain and effort to highlight this plight” (of the elderly). Expressing her utmost gratitude, she further emphasized that this company was one of the few corporations that “responded positively to this cry for assistance in the south”.
The patron echoed the sentiments of the previous speaker that these donations have come at the right time since “we all know how severe winters can get in this region of the south”. She then appealed to those distributing these donations to ensure that those in real need should be given preference when handing it out.
Hoffman raised the concern that not enough is done to also address the plight of the youth, “as future leaders of this country”. She said if they cannot be empowered “then let’s look after them simply as a humanitarian responsibility”.
Speaking at the same occasion and on behalf of ABInBev, Maija-Liisa Hangala, Legal and Corporate Affairs Manager said it is their dream, as a corporate, to improve the livelihoods and uplift the standards of communities where they operate.
“This donation of matrasses, pillows and blankets, I hope will provide better comfort and warmth during the harsh winter to the senior citizens,” said Hangala.