This archive report was first published on 5 August 2020.
On August 5, 2020, Samsung Electronics East Africa made a significant contribution to the fight against COVID-19 by donating 500 Samsung Galaxy A2 Core smartphones to over 5,500 frontline healthcare workers.
As part of a joint initiative with Safaricom, the donation will provide an equivalent of 195 Terabytes of data, 10 million voice call minutes, and 33 million SMSs to the healthcare workers identified by the Ministry of Health.
Each health worker will receive a monthly bundle consisting of 12GB data, 600 minutes, and 2,000 SMSs for an additional three months, courtesy of Safaricom.
Dr. Rashid Abdi Aman, Chief Administrative Secretary at the Ministry of Health, expressed gratitude for the support, stating, “Health workers are our first line of defense, and the continued support from Safaricom is a big boost to our containment efforts. More resources are required to enable the frontline teams safeguard the health of Kenyans, and we look forward to a continued partnership in the fight against COVID-19.”
Since the pandemic's outbreak, Safaricom has invested over KES 42 million in providing personal protective equipment (PPEs) to health workers in 17 counties through its philanthropic arms, the M-PESA and Safaricom Foundations.
Joseph Ogutu, Chief Special Projects Officer at Safaricom and Chairperson of the Safaricom Foundation, emphasized the importance of supporting health workers, saying, “The nation is behind the health workers as they continue playing a crucial role of managing the pandemic, and Safaricom is honored to play a part in ensuring they are protected. Our aim is to keep the country going and we will continue working with the government and other partners to support the frontline teams.”
Additionally, Samsung Electronics East Africa donated 500 Samsung Galaxy A2 Core smartphones worth KES 3.8 million to improve communication and aid the movement of testing and care teams.
Charles Kimari, Director of Mobile at Samsung Electronics East Africa, stated, “Samsung is committed to Kenya and we are fortunate as a company to be able to leverage the power of our innovative technology to respond to the core pillars designed to curb the spread of COVID-19. Our contribution of these smartphones to the Ministry of Health is designed to better equip the brave, frontline responders. It is to them we owe our thanks.”
