By StYLE Reporter
A group of former students of the Catholic-run Gokomere High School have donated personal protective equipment (PPEs) to the Masvingo General Hospital.
The PPEs donation worth over R50 000 was handed over last week by the group’s representative Vonai Chimhamhiwa.
Running under the name, Gokomere Alumni Society (GAS), about 50 members of the over 500-strong alumni and other well-wishers set up a Vent Fund whose main objective was to procure the life-saving ventilator to mitigate the ravages of Covid-19. From their bases in South Africa, the USA, UK, Australia, New Zealand and Zimbabwe, the former students raised funds for a ventilator, but realising the dire need for the basic protective mask, decided to prioritise the PPEs to the ventilator.
The group, led by Cape Town-based engineer/entrepreneur, Godwin Sweto, and supported, inter alia, by medical experts like Chimhamhiwa, is now ready to launch the next phase of the project: procurement of the ventilator.
“The fight against Covid 19 requires every citizen to lend a hand. We cannot leave it to government alone,” Sweto said.
Speaking in an interview after the handover on Friday, Chimhamhiwa, said they were giving back to the Masvingo community, which moulded them to be what they are today.
“The fund was set up by former students of Gokomere, who are members of GAS. We have many members in the diaspora and others in Zimbabwe. So we pooled financial resources and contributed to the fund.
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The main objective of GAS, however, is to bring back to Gokomere the glamour that is synonymous with the name of that great school.
“It’s an appreciation of former students of Gokomere to say we grew up here. Much as we have different stations in life now, our roots are at Gokomere ,” said Chimhamhiwa.
Masvingo General Hospital health services administrator Never Chingosho said the gesture would go a long way in alleviating shortages of PPEs for the staff.
“We are in a war and we have to win it. The material donated here will help arrest the shortages that our staff faces. Many companies have been forthcoming and donating to the institution, though we need more,” he said.
