The Presidential Empowerment Iniative Fund has today purchased face masks worth K25, 000 from local tailors to be distributed to residents as a preventive measure against the coronavirus pandemic.
And Presidential Empowerment Initiative National Cordinator Clement Tembo reiterated that Republican President Edgar Chagwa Lungu will continue to empower and support women and other traders in Zambia so that they can grow their businesses.
Speaking when he visited markets in Kabwata constituency to buy face masks and distrubute material to tailors for sewing more masks, Mr. Tembo explained that the initiative is meant to benefit all Zambian regardless of their political affiliation.
Mr Tembo has since urged traders to take advantage of the initiative and use it to grow their business by making mask in large quantities.
The Presidential Empowerment Initiative National Coordinator further stated that he was delighted to note that some tailors have exceeded his expectations when he challenged them to make face masks to be distributed to members of the public.
“We have the cash and our President wants to empower more marketeers, and traders hence we need to move fast and produce as many face masks as we can,” Mr Tembo said.
He stressed that the demand is very high and it was up to the local tailors to live up to the challenge.
Mr. Tembo added that all the traders that have made the face masks have be given money adding that all masks that have been brought from them will be distributed for free to needy places.
He explained that in the initial phase, a total of K150, 000 has been set aside for this undertaking and today K25 000 has been used to Purchase the masks from traders.
“The onus is on your that Traders who have been empowered to make sure that you produce more face masks then we can buy from them and later on distribute in the markets, bus and taxi drivers including our passengers in these busses as well as kafue,” he said.
Meanwhile, Kabwata Ward 6 councilor Longa chiboboka thanked President Edgar Lungu for empowering women and traders in his ward.
He said that the people of Kabwata shall continue to support the leadership of his excellency President Lungu as he has shown his love to see his people develop.
Over 4000 face masks from tailors from Kabwata, Libala, Chilenje, Chifundo and Munyaule markets have been purchased and will be distributed to members of the public by the Presidential Empowerment Initiative Fund to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
Useless masks with PF logo on them will not protect anyone from corona,
Kikikiki, always cutting corners, they just had to go and get leftover chitenjes from the previous bye elections, ndiye bakasaka kandalama aba, now they are insisting that everyone puts on chitenje masks, who is putting on the jack ma masks?
Chitenge masks do not give adequate protection. It’s like having no mask at all.
That’s what I’m talking about. We need more of these local initiatives and less dependency on foreign aid. Sad to see someone already hating this good idea to empower our people.
Well , even if the material used will not stop C19 , atleast tailoring skills are being enhanced in our communities
Excellent development. However, as usual, we can see from the above comments that its majority of people in diaspora who are criticising such a positive development. These people have never even sent money for salt to their relatives since going abroad and yet they think they can tell us what is good or bad. The only sensible disaporan is nine chale. The rest kaya what went wrong uko kuvyalo
A Chitenge mask is as good as any mask,. Definately better than no mask at all. Why belittle your own products just because you have been brainwashed to think Gucci and Versace is better? This mentality must stop! Learn to have self esteem and value your indigenous products.
Again Lazy Lungu abusing the Presidential Empowerment Fund to buy PF regalia from cadres instead of going to IDC and challenging them like in Kenya…these people have no shame at all, they think a face mask is an fashion accessory it comes with standards it has to adhere to and approved padding …it you can put out a candle whilst wearing it then it not ideal.
Look at those idyots breathing same carbon dioxide in that crowded space.
Why Lusambo not whipping them.
Tarino you appear sad and desperate. We are doing fine with our so called low quality products here. I am guessing there in your adopted home in Europe the masks are of a high quality such that people are dying in thousands.
Cloth masks are not as effective as surgical masks or respirator ones, but are better than nothing in environments where it is difficult to maintain the 2 meters apart distancing. It also helps save the more recommended ones for health workers. But the message sent out to people should not be one that gives them a false sense of protection. It is better to stay home or isolate than to venture out willy-nilly because you are now wearing a mask. In some experiences and studies, cloth masks were found to be only half as effective.
Masks are also most effective when worn by those who ARE infected to protect others from the droplets produced in coughs and sneezes. They do not stop other modes of transmission, for example touching surfaces that have the virus and then touching your eyes, mouth or nose.
Oh unbelievable,l? PF campaign musks, these dwarfs are already politicizing this pandemic.
Some will suffocatete with these chitenge PF musks!
This is sinking so low ba PF! We cannot be campaigning using a disease killing people! There is time for everything! There is time to put politics and party ligalia aside especially in matters of national and global importance!
Using politically neutral materials would have been more progressive!
We need to detoxify ourselves from village politics! How I wish all political party ligalia could be abolished and outlawed! Our politics would have been clean, no violence! Those who wear political party ligalia reduce themselves to animals. Just compare with what happens on National Geographic!
The idea to dish money into Zambians is good, but the idea to make campaign masks is childish. It would have been better if the money was used to give grants to those affected business men and women. The masks will be given 4 free but affected businesses are expected to obtain loans at high interest rates. Let’s for once act reasonably this is not fair
PF at it again. The recommended mask is N95 which is scientifically tested. These untested improvisations could be worse than not wearing a mask at all because they give a false sense of protection. Does this foolish dictator consult experts. This truly is an ignorance based government. Its like giving medicine which doesn’t work to covid 19 patients and then allow them to move freely since then have taken the medicine. PFools.
Dear MMD
Sincere apologies for pushing you out of power in 2011, we were by far better off during RBs reign, ignorantly we were celebrating his downfall. Ala kulasanikwa. Proper auto pilotee now. And PF will campaign to come back again in 2021 because miracles still happen surely, to come and do what?
This is sickening! Yikes!
Who is gonna wear PF masks? Ofcourse only PF cadres …
Those who remember history quiet well, what was the last thing Rupiah Banda did before he cried, he campaigned using chitenge material to win an election and that was the last time he was ever president of Zambia. Same story here i believe.
@Vote Him Out, tell me a single president losing or wining who did not use Chitenge materials for campaigning. Even the record losing presidential candidate uses them. What we should be telling PF all other politicians here is that this is not time for campaigning. If PF wants to use covid 19 to campaign, they are likely to lose focus on putting the disease under control.
Fipuba ifi. This is not campaigm time. Any way let them use this left overs coz, come 2021 August they are going. Balimukuya, kulonga ifisamu fyabo
The chances of one getting covid-19 from these is even high as I doubt these have been satirized …
*………sterilized
Seriously I can’t wait for this clueless guy, Lungu, to exit the State House. First off, not all material is effective in preventing the virus from entering your nostrils or your mouth. That material they picked from the market, was it tested to see it could protect someone? Is the material even clean and virus free? And what’s presidential empowerment fund..what does that mean? Sounds like a campaign bribe to me. If clueless Lungu wants to donate his salary, like the other serious presidents have done, including President Akufo of Ghana, just say Lungu has donated his salary towards the virus prevention. Don’t bring in the empowerment…blah blah language, as it is annoying. Everyone knows that Lungu is not empowering anyone in Zambia, except his partners in corruption. Don’t…
….insult our intelligence.
It seems Zambia and Malawi share the same stpidity
Good work it seems. But Someone tell me, is the Presidential Initiative Empowerment Fund funded from government budget as in tax payers funds? If so what its annual budget or is it unlimited? It never seems to run out of funds like RDA, UNZA, or even Ministries.Is it like the Esther Lungu which is funded by transparent well wishers donors? So is the PEIF Coordinator Clement Tembo a public service employee paid by tax payers and what civil service grade, PS? Type of car? Allowances? If PEIF is funded by donors who are they? Why are they not transparent? Finally is this the best way of spending resources, giving handouts instead if creating real jobs to enable poor people to get jobs and create more wealth. Do we want to create oermanent beggars? For the vulnerable isnt there Social Cash…
This is so wrong. We should soon make sure that all past and present politicians and businesses such as this one accepting public funds are made to pay, made an example of for all the misuse of public funds as is in itself theft by public servant and accepting proceeds of crime. Wait and see as politician have not learnt from the history.
…. Do we want to create permanent beggars? For the vulnerable isnt there Social Cash Transfer? Just curious, always wondered. Someone including Mr Tembo himself, please educate me.
Is PEIF audited by Aud Gen? Where can we access its annual reports?
Excellent initiative. Cost effective and will be helpful to low income people that cannot afford to purchase their own face masks. Let us also remember that due to global demand face masks are hard to find. So let’s not be quick to criticise an initiative implemented by our government, instead let us support them. To those criticising, donate some face masks to the government instead of pontaliting unnecessarily meanwhile pa tumba ni broke!!
Politics in a crisis? So low guys.
No accountability in a crisis? So low guys!