NBS Bank plc has donated K1.2 million to Mother’s Fun Run (MFR), an annual Nation Publications Limited (NPL) safe motherhood initiative, which this year targets to support Nkhata Bay District Hospital and its surrounding health facilities.

The donation comes after National Council for Higher Education (Nche) chief executive officer (CEO) Ambumulire Phiri approached the bank to support her sleepover as part of fundraising for the initiative.

NBS Bank public sector manager Eugen Chinkhandwe said they felt compelled to contribute towards safe motherhood as a way of giving back to the society.

He said: “When Dr Phiri reached out to us, we thought as a Malawian bank that this is one way of giving back to the community. And also considering that Dr Phiri is a female and our trusted partner, we did not hesitate to support Mothers` Fun by giving this donation.”

He added that October being the month when Mother’s Day is celebrated, NBS was motivated to give this donation for safe motherhood as a symbol of celebrating the day.

Nche CEO Ambumulire Phiri said that the sleepover challenge will give her an opportunity to interact and learn the experience of mothers in rural areas that are hard to reach and forgotten during childbirth.

Taking her turn, NPL CEO, Mbumba Banda said the lack of equipment and poor road network infrastructures connecting the smaller health facilities to Nkhata Bay District Hospital have emerged as outstanding barriers to safe motherhood.

Meanwhile, Global Distributers Limited has donated water worth 200 hundred thousand kwacha towards MFR main event which is going to take place on October 6, 2023.