Ireland and UNICEF donated data management equipment worth 10.6M kwacha to Malawi

In collaboration with UNICEF, the Irish government donated data management equipment worth 10.6 million kwacha ($13,000) to the Malawian government to support the national COVID-19 response.

During the official handover ceremony, seams O’Grady, the Irish Ambassador to Malawi, said that his government was pleased to assist Malawi in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Ambassador O’Grady said the Irish government commended the country for standing firm in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Garrit Maritz, UNICEF’s Deputy Country Representative, said there is continued leadership in disseminating regular and transparent communications, spearheading policy direction, and embracing evidence-based intervention packages to prevent, diagnose and manage the pandemic in Malawi.

However, Maritz said, the pandemic was far from over. While children were not at the most significant direct risk from the virus itself, they suffered disproportionately from its socioeconomic consequences.

UNICEF, therefore will continue to advocate and collaborate with partners to improve the health outcomes of Malawian children.

In her acceptance speech, Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda, Malawi’s minister of health, said the data equipment received from the partners was timely and would help the African nation manage the genomic sequencing of COVID-19 and other diseases.