Zgambo (2nd left) hands over the sponsorship to Lulker
By Duncan Mlanjira
Colony Club Casino, based in Amaryllis Hotel in Blantyre, has sponsored K1 million to Blantyre Round Table No. 20 towards its annual charitable event of hosting a Christmas party for Mpemba Reformatory Centre.
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The sponsorship also funds Blantyre Round Table’s tree planting exercise as Colony Club Casino takes cognizance that “climate change is something that needs to be taken seriously by contributing towards environmental conservation”.
At the presentation ceremony on Thursday at Amaryllis Hotel, Colony Club Casino’s Slots Manager Saul Zgambo said it is important to invest in the future of the young generation through education which leads to self-sustainability and self esteem
“Life sometimes deals a bad hand to some but that doesn’t mean we should write them off because of mistakes they made,” he said.
Blantyre Round Table, a charitable organisation of young men of under 40 years of age, has long-standing partnership with Mpemba Reformatory Centre that has existed since 1962 that includes annual tradition of interacting with the kids in celebration of the Christmas festive season.
The Tablers treat the children on a bus ride into central business district of Blantyre City and stop over for an ice cream treat at Chichiri Shopping Mall before going back to Mpemba where they are offered a hearty Christmas meal.
Thereafter, they donate various items — academic and otherwise — before playing a ritual football match against the Centre’s team which they provide with footballs and kits.
A group photograph with Kaliati after launching the ICT lab
In April, the Tablers donated an information and communication technology classroom, which was commissioned by Minister of Gender and Community Services, Patricia Kaliati.
The Tablers chairperson Andrew Lulker applauded Colony Club Casino for their gesture, saying all is now set for the traditional annual Christmas lunch and football match. He also thanked various sponsors who support their community-based charitable projects.
Blantyre Round Table Blantyre No. 20 is non-political, non-religious international community-based charity organization of like-minded professional young men from the ages of 18-40.
Notable projects that they have undertaken over the years include building and commissioning the Louis Marchesi Physiotherapy ward at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in 1983, which is still in use today and is supported by the Tablers.
Donation done last December
In 2013, they partnered with PEP stores which donated clothes, sports equipment, sanitary items and shoes worth K30 million which was distributed in communities such as Blantyre, Bangwe, Thondwe and Chiradzulu that touched the lives of over 1,000 people.
In 2017, the Tablers partnered up with Banja La Mtsogolo and Queens Hospital and carried out an extensive cervical cancer screening drive in Chikwawa District that reached out to over 600 women.
In 2018, we supported flood victims in the Lower Shire, in partnership with its parent body Round Table Malawi, international Tablers and their corporate friends where they donated food items, maize seeds, blankets, cooking utensils and black sheeting to over 2,000 flood victims.
Camaraderie after a football match
The state-of-the-art computer lab that was provided in April this year is meant to empower the children with basic IT skills as part of the kids’ reformation process at the centre where they are imparted with various skills to prepare them ahead of life after that of the Centre.
Colony Club Casino is one of the longest casinos in Malawi as it celebrates its 19th anniversary on December 26.
It has over 30 slot machines; a five seat roulette machine and 4 card and roulette machines with newest games that keep patrons entertained for hours.
Zgambo said they promote responsible gaming and provide top class entertainment for all walks of life.
“We moved into Amaryllis Hotel earlier in the year and we are happy to be affiliated with one of the best hotels in Malawi. We are open every day from 11am until midnight and have strict CoVID-19 preventive protocols in place to ensure the safety of our staff and customers.
“Like any other business during these unprecedented times of CoVID-19, we struggled but were able to maintain our entire workforce and avoided staff salary cuts,” Zgambo said.
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