FNB, World Vision respond to food crisis

‘MAKERESEMESE LETUKA

MASERU – A partnership of FNB Lesotho with assistance of World Vision has facilitated the donation of food parcels to the   Motimposo community, in Maseru, to ease the negative impact of the rampant COVID-19 pandemic that has led to the alarming death rate in the area. FNB understands the difficult situation many families are facing due to the ongoing national lockdown, with most businesses shutdown.

“A lot of families are left vulnerable and frustrated about where their next meal is going to come from,” a statement from the bank has said. With its #RealHelp sub-slogan that was created in February 2020, the bank has been finding ways to assist where possible by responding to dire needs identified by stats guided by World Vision.

FNB with the help of NGO, World Vision, donated food parcels in Maseru as it is currently the most affected district from COVID-19 infections and will continue to assist others affected districts as an ongoing project. About 200 families identified as beneficiaries by World Vision were assisted with food parcels.

In December 2020, the project took off in Mokhotlong and Mafeteng (Matelile) respectively as the two districts were badly affected by the pandemic, over 200 families received food parcels just before Christmas. In total FNB has assisted about 450 families since the December 2020.

“FNB believes in extending a hand of help to assist communities in dire situations during this pandemic and responding to urgent country needs, part of the project is to provide seeds to encourage beneficiaries to grow their own food for continuous future use” says Delekazi Mokebe, FNB CEO.

Mokebe said she was pleased that the bank was able to bring a smile on the faces of the community’s people, a realisation of the FNB vision which is to help a lot of communities in need,” she said. “We are glad to have partnered with World Vision because they are already about help vulnerable groups which make it easy to identify most in need of help.”

On behalf of her organisation World Vision Operations Director, ‘Masechaba Nthunya said: “We have a memorandum of understanding with FNB in helping families more especially children , in the eight districts of Lesotho we are on the move to search for the most vulnerable people with the help of chiefs and councillors today we are fulfilling one of those.”

The Maseru District Administrator, Mpane Nthunya, expressed appreciation of gesture made by FNB and World Vision. “I have quite a lot about the two companies he has been hearing about how the two companies are extending a helping hand in other districts, but today I am happy they have managed to help in my own area. Poverty has become a serious problem these days, and this assistance is greatly appreciated,” he said.

On behalf of the recipients a member of the community, Limpho Kolane, said she was very happy as it has been hard for them to survive “especially in this time of COVID-19; we have never received such a generous gift in a long time.”