ETHIOPIA – Nestlé has donated Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to the Ministry of Health of Ethiopia worth Birr 346,857 (US$10,000), contributing to the personal safety and well-being of health care workers and physicians in the front-line combating COVID 19.

According to the company’s press-release, the donation which includes 500 scrubs and 500 rubber boots, will be distributed to two Corona treatment centers in the country.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) are an integral tool in reducing the risk of COVID-19 exposure among medical professionals.

Due to the rapid increase of COVID-19 cases across the country, PPEs are in high demand and supplies are dwindling in many hospitals – especially in communities hit hardest by the fast-spreading virus.

“Given the growing shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) in medical facilities across the country, we have an opportunity and an obligation to help to ensure the safety of our health workers as they continue to dedicate themselves in managing the pandemic,” stated Wossenyeleh Shiferaw, Nestlé Horn of Africa Cluster Manager.

Adding, “We are proud to partner with the Ministry of Health on this important initiative, and to thank and support all the brave, selfless, and steadfast doctors, nurses, and healthcare workers on the front lines fighting against COVID-19.”

Nestlé is one of Ethiopia’s corporate institutions that have stepped in to support the government and Ethiopians in managing the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Others include PepsiCo and Heineken.

Nestlé Ethiopia was established in 2006 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It also serves as the headquarters of Nestlé Horn of Africa (HoA) Cluster.

The cluster oversees market development activities across Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia markets. It imports and distributes multiple brands and categories through its local distribution partners.

Other than Ethiopia, Nestlé has donated two ventilators to the Infectious and Tropical Disease Service unit of the Treichville University Hospital, where critical COVID-19 patients are referred to in Côte d’Ivoire.

This was in addition to the company donating medical equipment to hospitals in Burkina Faso, Ghana and Senegal.

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