Berenice Mulubah | 6/2/2015 2:00PM
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ExxonMobil on Monday donated US$162,500 to the Liberian Red Cross and Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity towards various programs aimed at supporting survivors of Ebola, significant as Liberia embarks upon an era of recovery following the dreaded toll of the ravaging disease. The Liberian Red Cross received US$102,500 and the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity received US$60,000.
Both the Liberian National Red Cross Society (LNRCS) and the Alpha Phi Alpha were instrumental in combating Ebola. The former headed Ebola burials nationwide and the latter erected a 100-bed Ebola unit at the Unity Conference Center outside Monrovia, among other things. ExxonMobil donated US$160,000 to the Liberian Red Cross to carry out its work during the Ebola crisis but this donation marks the first for the fraternity.
Their selection for the ExxonMobil grant was the result of a competitive bidding process conducted the National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL). “Today, we will be presenting to the Liberian Red Cross and Alpha Phi Alpha a total of US$162,000 for their groundbreaking work towards the eradication of Ebola in Liberia and the continued works they have endeavored to undertake in post-Ebola Liberia,” said Nathaniel Jallah, ExxonMobil’s government relations officer.
The president of the National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL), Dr. Randolph McClain said the donation was as the result of an unusual clause among concessions in the ExxonMobil concession with Liberia, which mandates the company to carry out its corporate social responsibilities in coordination with the Ministry of Finance and NOCAL.
Dr. McClain said the grant was intended to provide support to Ebola survivors in the areas of psychosocial counseling and social mobilization against stigmatization and other issues affecting survivors. Liberia’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Francis Kateh said because Ebola survivors now phase huge health uncertainty due to the disease, programs aimed at assisting and supporting survivors were important in restoring their health.
Deputy Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Madea Wah said grants such as ExxonMobil’s were crucial in funding programs targeting hundreds of Ebola widows and children. Recipients Liberian Red Cross and Alpha Phi Alpha were grateful for the donation. Mr. Matthew Kparh of the Red Cross said the humanitarian organization was in need of funds to run its program targeted at the needy nationwide. And T. Nelson Williams of Alpha Phi Alpha acknowledged that the grant would enable the fraternity carry on some post-Ebola initiatives.
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