According to Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, Ronald Lamola it is now a criminal offence to not wear a mask in a public space in South Africa. However, sometimes access to basic healthcare equipment is a challenge. Which is why CCFA, a Port Elizabeth based not-for-profit company, is running a buy 1, donate 1 mask drive.
The NPO recently moved forward its planned Mandela Day handover when it learned that staff at the Livingstone Hospital in Port Elizabeth were in desperate need of masks. They donated 500 masks to delighted hospital staff.”We read about the need for masks at Livingstone Hospital and, considering the invaluable work they are doing at this time and with our head office being based in Port Elizabeth, we decided to bring our Mandela Day initiative forward,” explained Di Luden, Executive Director of CCFA.
The Masks are available in four sizes: Men’s, ladies, teenagers (ages 7 to 12) and children (3 to 6 years) and were sewn according to the Department of Health guidelines and are made up of 3 layers. The Shweshwe cotton and washed ‘denim’ masks were handmade by women in a job creation project the NPC supports, who normally sew animal mascots for tourists.
“It was the most humbling experience to visit the hospital and interact with the staff, who are exhausted coping with the increasing numbers in the COVID-19 infections but, they remain cheerful, upbeat and optimistic and were truly grateful for the donation,” concluded Luden.
