Solidarity Fund tops R2bn in pledges to fight Covid-19

The Solidarity Fund (SF) which was launched to flatten the curve of the Covid-19 pandemic has made remarkable inroads in the last few weeks. So far R2,6 billion has been pledged.

A press briefing was held earlier today (April 23) to highlight the fund’s work thus far. “It has been inspiring to see the collaborative efforts in such a short space of time,” said chairman of the board, Gloria Serobe. She added that South Africans were finding unity in action against the coronavirus.

Not only had corporates made donations but some 75,000 individuals had also reached into their pockets to help.

Interim CEO, Nomkhita Nqweni said the fund aimed to have an “impact that is immediate and sustained”.

“The focus of the SF is to support the national health response, humanitarian efforts,  and to get the public to change their behaviour  in order to flatten the curve of the virus. The primary phase of the pandemic is to bring together resources for immediate impact,” she said.

A solidarity campaign had also been launched, flighting on various media platforms and 15 radio stations, to create awareness and educate the public. By the end of the week, the SF would launch its website where pledges and resource allocation could be tracked.

Lead for fundraising, Paul Bond said: “There has been an unprecedented response from donors – everyone is getting involved. Having started with R150 million of seed capital, the fund now stands at R2,6 billion which has been pledged. Of this, R1,6 billion has been received. About 1,000 businesses have also made donations.” He also reiterated that for purposes of transparency, the pledges could be tracked on the website.

“If the virus is allowed to spread unchecked, it would be catastrophic,” said the lead of healthcare intervention, Jonathan Broomberg. “Therefore, efforts needed to be made to intensify health interventions to contain and delay the virus. The SF’s focus is to support government and national efforts to provide the private and public health care systems with critical equipment and emergency supplies.”

About R1,1 billion in funding would be used for the health sector to purchase Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as gloves, masks, goggles and face shields, as well as Covid-19 test kits and ventilators. Some 21 million masks had been purchased, as had hand sanitisers and goggles, which would arrive in the next 1 to 2 weeks.

“Globally, there is a shortage of PPE, so we place strong emphasis on local manufacturing and welcome reliable domestic production of critical equipment,” he said.

The Covid-19 pandemic had also brought  a food crisis, with an urgent need for humanitarian assistance in 9 provinces. “The fund has taken action to supply food parcels to the most vulnerable across the country,” said lead of humanitarian interventions, Nicola Galombik.

One of the tasks undertaken by the fund was to hand out food parcels to some 250,000 distressed families for the April lockdown. “Our goal is to act rapidly to reach people facing food scarcity issues. Also, to cover poor communities by identifying the most poverty-stricken municipalities,” she said.

To ensure “food reaches the right people”, non-profit organisations were being evaluated for compliance for distribution.

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