Firms urged to support rehabilitation centres

registered as non-profit-making organisations.
The call was made by Mimosa Mining Company managing director Mr Winston Chitando at an event to raise funds for St Giles Medical Rehabilitation Centre.
“Mimosa’s corporate social responsibility in the Zvishavane community and outside particularly focuses on education, health and specialist institutions such as those that assist the disabled and the blind because these are areas that require urgent attention.
“We urge more corporates to commit more money to assist the needy,” said Mr Chitando.
The fund-raising event was a follow-up to assistance to St Giles that was pledged by Mimosa, with the company having donated physiotherapy equipment worth US$25 000 in December.
St Giles provides medical rehabilitation services to both individuals and companies, and although their charges are nominal, they are also mandated to provide free services to those who cannot afford.
St Giles board chairman Mr Vanani Nyangulu said as a result of the economic problems of the past decade, most corporations had stopped their contributions to the institution, putting it in a dire financial situation.
“The centre’s current annual budget for 2012 is US$2 million. This is a shoestring budget to cover critical costs such as medical supplies, utilities, staff costs and the cost of looking after the children as well as maintenance.
“Clearly, these figures are beyond the centre’s financial capacity and this is where the corporate world and the public can come in. With more resources the centre can do a lot more for more people,” he said.