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Kalumbila Minerals Limited (KML), a subsidiary of mining giant First Quantum Minerals (FQM), has handed over cleaning equipment and personal protective equipment (PPE) worth K620,201 towards Kalumbila District’s COVID-19 preparedness response measures.
KML’s donation is in recognition of the adverse effects the threat of the virus is having on the local community.
The support forms part of FQM’s total monetary and in-kind support amounting to K2,780,201 pledged in March, soon after the first COVID-19 cases were recorded in Zambia.
“The significance of the damage by COVID-19 means that we must respond with the same level of seriousness and devise smart response systems that account for local conditions,” said KML community affairs manager Joseph Ngwira.
Mr Ngwira added that the fight against COVID-19 was not for government and the private sector alone, but a fight for every person on earth.
He further said the mining company’s wide-ranging COVID-19 relief efforts were directed at where support was most needed, which was often in basic services at local community level in remote areas around the mine.
The significant contributions to the COVID-19 Fund set up by the Zambian government build on FQM’s ongoing contribution of medical services and supplies to the communities surrounding its Kalumbila and Kansanshi mines in North-Western Province.
“We will continue to work closely with the government and our local communities to keep people safe and maintain our operational capacity. We recognise that the continued operation of our mines during this crisis is of vital importance to local employment, community well-being and the economy of Zambia,” Ngwira noted.
FQM continues to assess developments and update the company’s response as required. The mine has no confirmed cases of COVID-19 at any of its sites or offices in Zambia, and a dedicated team is in place will continue to maintain safe operations at Kalumbila and Kansanshi mines.
The mining giant has committed to continuing to provide all the appropriate support it can – focused not only on this phase of prevention and response to the pandemic itself but also into the all-important recovery phase when the swift resumption of economic activity will be imperative.
