Partnering to serve humanity
The district has been identified as one of the most deprived districts in South Africa based on indicators including unemployment, access to piped water and electricity and low education levels
Wednesday, August 12 saw the launch of an important three-way partnership between the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health, the SA Red Cross Air Mercy Service and the Al-Imdaad Foundation.
The initiative, which is an extension of the Al-Imdaad Foundation’s Winter Warmth campaign, will see a series of distributions in isolated rural areas, to be carried out by Air Mercy personnel.
Air Mercy has become a key player in delivering healthcare to isolated areas, and works closely with provincial Health Departments to implement effective programmes to address needs on the ground.
Air Mercy is able to provide access to aero-medical and associated humanitarian services to areas that may otherwise have fallen off the radar, thereby improving the quality of life for isolated communities.
With an extended winter on the cards and limited access to peripheral areas during the official Winter Warmth Campaign distributions, the partnership between Air Mercy and the Al-Imdaad Foundation will be of great benefit and found full support from both parties.
The KZN Department of Health also supported the initiative and the three-way partnership was thus born with the first flight taking place on Wednesday, August, 12.
This partnership has allowed the distribution of Al-Imdaad Foundation blankets and winter gear in addition to walking aids and other items, to isolated locations not easily reached by road.
Al-Imdaad Foundation’s representative at the launch, Qari Ziyad Patel described the partnership as follows:
“It allows us to extend our humanitarian hand into areas that are otherwise inaccessible.”
In the first phase of distributions, communities in the uMkhanyakude District Municipality of KwaZulu-Natal, close to the Swazi border, were targeted.
This district has been identified as one of the most deprived districts in South Africa based on indicators including unemployment, access to piped water and electricity and low education levels.
Describing the launch, Mr Patel explained how the first phase of distributions was “widely welcomed”. He also described his experience of the rural areas of uMkhanyakude as bringing home the fact that “there is so much poverty in this country.” This is a reality that this partnership is seeking to address.
Air Mercy aircraft landed on graft airstrips in uMkhanyakude as no proper airstrip was available in the area.
Mr Patel explained that the easiest way to access the area was, however, via air and that the partnership between Al-Imdaad Foundation, Air Mercy and the Department of Health had made this possible.
Al-Imdaad Foundation blankets and winter wear were handed out to patients at the Mosvold District Hospital where a distribution point was also set up for families from surrounding areas.
Walking aids were also handed over to elderly members of the local community. This budding partnership between three key actors on the South African humanitarian scene has brought comfort to areas of KwaZulu-Natal that may otherwise have been inaccessible during distributions.
Mr Patel said: “We hope that this partnership develops to include other joint projects that help to improve the quality of life of rural South Africans wherever they may be.”
Air Mercy has confirmed that they are proud to be a partner to this initiative and are impressed with the Al-Imdaad Foundation’s activities.
Plans are already in place to partner on other projects in isolated rural areas in the future.
We have already seen the success of past partnerships between the Al-Imdaad Foundation and the Department of Health in the success of the Phila Mtwana child malnutrition centres in areas of KwaZulu-Natal.
The continued success of the Al-Imdaad Foundation’s partnerships with KwaZulu-Natal’s poverty eradication programme, Operation Sukuma Sakhe, is also testimony to the positive impact joint initiatives between key players can have for South Africa’s most needy citizens.
The next month will see eight other flights increasing the access of the humanitarian distributions and spread comfort amongst rural South Africans. This is only the beginning of what will be a new era in humanitarian access in South Africa.
