By Duncan Mlanjira
Muslim Youth United (MYU) and Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (Queens) have officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the adoption of neurosurgical and orthopaedic wards where the grouping is expected to visit the wards every week to assess and address their pressing needs.
Dubbed We Care Wards, the official MOU was signed at Queens’ conference room on Friday between MYU chairman Abdullah Panjwani and Dr. Samson Ndolo, who is the hospital’s director.
Nandolo and Panjwani
The group first donated a bale of the blankets and will soon give the wards a new coat of paint and supply the orthopaedic ward with toys for the child patients.
They are expected to be supplying any other needs that they shall be identifying during their weekly visits in conjunction with the Queens’ medical personnel.
MYU has is also carrying out a feeding programme at Queens every Wednesday. This programme is now in its third month and MYU say they have the capacity to handle the initiative up to the next 12 months.
Panjwani explained that since the grouping started in 2014 they had made several charity visits to Queens where they discovered that one of the challenges management faces there is food supply.
“Every Wednesday, we supply food items for the kitchen to prepare either rice with beef, or with soya pieces or chicken stew and we also supply milk and other food supplements such as Chiponde,” he said.
As part of our celebration of the Eid al-Adha Festival of the Sacrifice in August, MYU donated 273kgs of meat to Queens and decided to continue with the feeding programme.
Last month, the grouping also donated physiotherapy equipment to Kachere Rehabilitation Centre, MACOHA and FEDOMA in Blantyre that included 120 wheelchairs, 20 walkers and 100 walking sticks.
The donation of physiotherapy equipment
In September, MYU organised a Blood Donation Camp also at Mpingwe Sports Club in conjunction with National Muslim Students Association, Pakistan Welfare Association, Limbe Muslim Jamal Bilal Trust and Malawi Blood Transfusion Service (MBTS).
Since its inception in 2014, Muslim Youth United has undertaken over 33 empowerment projects that included tree planting sessions as well as prison and hospital visits.
Kassim Okhai, who was guest of honour for the handover ceremony of the physiotherapy equipment held at Mpingwe Sports Club, applauded the grouping for their objective of assisting the medical industry, which faces multiple challenges.
Okhai, chairperson of the Muslim Zakaat Fund — which is a charity that focuses on providing quality tertiary education for underprivileged students, applauded MYU for their excellent style of doing charity work.