The Equity Group Foundation (EGF), the philanthropic arm of James Mwangi’s Equity Group Holdings, has committed Sh85 million ($787,401) to support healthcare workers in Kenya.
Mwangi is the group managing director and CEO of Equity Group Holdings, a banking conglomerate with one of the most extensive consumer bases on the African continent.
The COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted the mental health of workers in Kenya’s health sector, according to Mwangi. He stated that COVID-19 has caused healthcare workers to experience mental stress while in the line of duty, Kenya News reported.
The EGF has committed the funds to create tailored programs for healthcare workers in the next 18 months. The move aims to cushion them from the adverse effects of the pandemic. The funds will be channeled to Kenyan healthcare worker associations.
Mwangi announced the initiative at Siakago Hospital in Mbeere North Sub County while donating personal protective equipment (PPE) to the hospital. He further revealed that the EGF has raised more than Sh1.4 billion ($13 million) to supply PPEs to government and mission hospitals in partnership with the board of the Kenya COVID-19 Fund.
In the wake of the outbreak of COVID-19 in Kenya, the EGF has actively sought ways to safeguard the country’s healthcare workers.
On April 29, 2020, the EGF announced a partnership with the Mastercard Foundation to commit Ksh 1.1 billion ($10.2 million) to acquire PPEs for frontline medical workers in Kenyan public hospitals.
