Online Reporter
Tongai Mashonga, [email protected]
MOONLIGHT Group Chief Executive Officer Dr Chomi Makina says the company’s decision to launch the Moonlight Cancer Trust was driven by a moral question that challenged its three decades in the funeral assur-ance business.
“In our line of business, we meet families at a moment no one plans for. For three decades, Moonlight has stood with families in their hardest moments. That work has taught us one thing above all else: how you show up for people in their most difficult moments defines who you are,” said Dr Makina while addressing 150 dele-gates at the third Moonlight Cancer Trust Fundraising Dinner held on Friday at Cresta Churchill Hotel in Bula-wayo”
“Some years ago, we asked ourselves a difficult question. If we are trusted to stand with families at the end of a life, what are we doing for the people who are still fighting for theirs? The Moonlight Cancer Trust is our an-swer to that question. And tonight, this room is part of that answer,” he said.
Dr Makina said Bulawayo was a deliberate choice for this year’s dinner as the city sits at the core of Moon-light’s operations and is home to many of its clients, people and partners.
“When we decided where to host this year’s dinner, the choice was simple. We wanted to come home, and to honour, in person, the clients and stakeholders who have trusted us over the years,” he said.
He said corporate social responsibility should never be a line item on a calendar but must reflect who a com-pany is, respond to real need and produce something people can see and use.
Giving a track record of the Trust, Dr Makina said the first dinner supported the Cancer Association of Zimba-bwe, an institution that has carried the burden of awareness, screening and patient support for many years.
The second edition partnered with KidzCan Zimbabwe and provided one full month of medication for children living with cancer – a month in which treatment did not stop because of cost.
Earlier this month, the Trust hosted its third Half Marathon and Charity Run, which drew over 1 000 athletes and the support of 44 companies.
“What stayed with me was not the size of the turnout, but the range of ways people showed up. Some spon-sored. Some ran. Some gave their services. Some helped organise. And many simply came to stand in support,” he said.
“I watched our own Moonlight colleagues lace up alongside clients, strangers and total newcomers to the cause, all moving toward the same finish line. That morning turned a road race into a statement: that this community will not leave cancer patients to fight alone.”
This year, Dr Makina said, the Trust will direct its support to the Oncology Centre at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals – the country’s principal referral hospital which serves patients from every province, including Bula-wayo.
“Parirenyatwa is the country’s principal referral hospital, and its Oncology Centre serves patients from every province. The demand on that centre is significant, and the doctors, nurses and radiographers who work there do remarkable work with the resources available to them. Our intention is simple: to add to those resources where it matters most,” he said.
He made a direct appeal to captains of industry and commerce in the room, saying cancer is not only a health issue but a workforce, household income and community issue.
“Every one of our organisations is affected by it, whether through an employee, a client or a family member. Supporting this cause is not charity at the edge of business. It is an investment in the people on whom our businesses depend,” said Dr Makina.
He challenged delegates to do three things – give generously on the night, consider a sustained partnership with the Trust beyond the dinner, and take the conversation about early detection back into their own work-places.
“We commit to continue supporting the communities we serve. This is not simply to speak about compassion, but to put resources behind it,” he said.
“Moonlight exists to show up for people when it matters most. Tonight, we are asking you to show up with us, not at the end of the journey, but in the middle of the fight, where your support can still change the outcome.”
He closed with a line from Aesop: “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.”
“Let us, therefore, not measure the success of this evening only by what is raised. Let us measure it by the partnerships strengthened, and by the difference this support makes for patients and families beyond this room,” he said.
The guest of honour for the dinner was the Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution for Bulawayo Metropolitan Province Judith Ncube represented by Mrs Tendai Mlilo, Deputy Director Human Resources in her office.
Also present were the Board of Directors of Moonlight Funeral Assurance, senior Government officials, ZPCS, ZRP, KidzCan Zimbabwe, Moonlight clients and stakeholders.
