Coca-Cola Donates Ksh 30m towards Coronavirus Relief support In Kenya

The Coca-Cola Foundation and its bottling partner Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA) has contributed over Kshs 30 million worth of support to Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO), Kenya Red Cross, and Amref Health Africa to bolster their efforts towards curbing the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in Kenya.

The support came in the form of financial aid to assist in the distribution of sanitizers and Coca-Cola beverage product donations to medical facilities.

According to the firm, the support will complement the government’s and community organizations’ efforts towards containing and eradicating the spread of the novel Coronavirus. “We value our customers, employees, and the communities within which we operate. We, therefore, would like to do our part to help prevent further spread of the virus, while also supporting their needs,” said Phillipine Mtikitiki, General Manager of Coca-Cola East and Central Africa Franchise.

Ksh17.5 million will go to Amref Health Africa to aid in its support of healthcare workers as well as support communities by providing water to the needy families across the country.

SHOFCO, on the other hand, will receive Ksh10 million that will be used to create awareness and provide handwashing points in the densely populated informal settlements of Kibera and Mukuru in Nairobi.

“We continue to receive immense support from the private sector to support our community response to COVID-19. The funds we have received from Coca-Cola will see us reach communities in Nairobi’s informal settlement of Kibera and Muoroto and Kisumu Ndogo in Mombasa and Kilifi counties respectively. We will not stop until the battle against this pandemic is won” said Amref Health Africa in Kenya’s Country Director Dr Meshack Ndirangu.

SHOFCO founder Kennedy Odede, lauded the support saying that the grant will enable the community based organization to scale-up its doo-to-doorCOVID-19 awareness campaign as well as conduct screening tests in partnership with the Ministry of Health. “For the densely populated law-income settlement areas, it is imperative that we continue to empower the communities with information to protect themselves and their families as we set up more handwashing stations to help them maintain the required hygiene standards to control the spread of the virus,” Mr. Odede said.

Coca-Cola is also using its wide distribution network across the country to distribute sanitizers, offering the use of its extensive product distribution network to collect and distribute consignments of free hand sanitizers to County Commissioner offices across the country for distribution to the public.

Coca-Cola is also using its marketing platforms such as social media, radio and TV to create awareness on hygiene through Stay Safe messages. In addition, it is using its product labelling to pass on similar messages to consumers of its beverages.