The Sunday News
Vusumuzi Dube Municipal Reporter
THE initiative by the Bulawayo United Residents Association (BURA) to raise $200 000 towards the construction of a perimeter wall at Mpilo Central Hospital has gathered momentum, with the association having distributed 1 000 sponsorship forms. Each form can collect up to $100.BURA launched the initiative a couple of weeks ago with the intention of getting residents to contribute to the hospital’s well-being and ensure security to its equipment.
The residents association’s chairperson, Mr Winos Dube, said they were happy with the progress made and would by end of this month review progress made in their collections.
“What we did is that we sent out donation forms to our various affiliate associations with my last count revealing that just over 1 000 forms have been distributed, each form having 100 bricks or worth $100. As an association, we are saying that we don’t want to handle any money but when each form is completed the money is deposited directly to our bank account and the form brought back to us with the deposit slips.
“To ensure that we reach our target we have stated that these forms must be filled completely, on 20 April we will then sit down as an association and see what we have raised so we either start the project or extend the period,” said Mr Dube.
The chairperson said one of their main principles was to encourage transparency and accountability, which was why they were insisting that whatever was raised would go straight to the bank.
He said they had decided on the project as a way of showing the health institution that they appreciated the service it was providing to the community.
“This is a continuation of a partnership we started in 2008 during the economic meltdown, this was a time when the situation at the hospital was in a terrible state. We did a pauper’s burial of 80 bodies, which went a long way in easing the congestion at the mortuary.
“Since then we have never looked back hence this initiative. Our thinking was that over the years people continued to donate towards the hospital and right now there is equipment that have a bearing towards health services that is why we decided to start this project that will see us constructing a security wall to protect this very equipment,” he said.
Mr Dube said they had also noted that the current fence was now damaged thus exposing the hospital’s equipment to thieves. He said anyone who is interested in donating towards the initiative could deposit any amount in their CBZ account number 01220175380050 or Ecocash biller code 56743.
