The NICO Group has donated laptops to female students at Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHeS), formally known as College of Medicine, in a bid to assist the students with their online lessons.
This follows similar donations to Malawi University of Science and Technologies and Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences, formally known as The Polytechnic, made earlier this year.
The Covid -19 pandemic has changed the format of learning in the country. Classes are mostly done online to avoid physical contact as a prevention measure to covid-19. However, most students cannot afford to have gadgets to fulfill their studies online. This is a challenge for most college institutions. These students are required to take turns to use the few computer resources provided by the schools at their Resource Centre, which affects their studies and disadvantaging them from the other students who have access to personal gadgets and can do their studies anytime.
NICO Pensions General Manager, Gerald Chima, said NICO understand the challenge that Covid-19 has had on the Education Sector and is doing its part by assisting these students.
“We are determined to always do our part when it comes to education. With an educated nation, we can enjoy the fruits of this beautiful nation as we will have more educated leaders to put right policies in place,” Chima said.
He further encouraged the beneficiaries of the initiative to remain determined in pursuing their education.
“Your education will always be yours. No one can take that from you, but you need to take it seriously and put more effort in your studies as well,” he added.
Speaking on behalf the student beneficiaries and the college, KUHeS Associate Professor of Molecular Biology, Doctor Arox Kamng’ona, expressed gratitude towards NICO.
“This gesture is appreciated as it will go a long way in helping our underprivileged students. Due to the pandemic, we had to introduce online classes and some students were struggling as they do not have gadgets to enable them to attend the virtual lessons. With assistance from NICO, more students have been able to have their own gadgets and attend classes with their classmates,” Doctor Kamng’ona said.
This second donation to KUHeS came about through one of the youngest female Physician, Dr Tamara Phiri who was featured as an inspirational speaker in NICO’s Month of Women campaign in March. She was given an opportunity to identify a cause she feels passionate about that NICO can assist her to reach out, she identified this education gap, which also falls in NICO’s Corporate Social Responsibility.
The donation further emphasizes NICO’s commitment to serving in the education sector. As a corporate citizen, The NICO Group remains committed to ensuring it gives back to the community it operates in.
To date NICO has sponsored K14 million towards this cause.