Ford SA donates another R2.5 million to help fight Covid-19

Government of South Africa

Apart from that, a number of Ford Everests and Rangers were loaned to NGOs such as the Gift of the Givers Foundation, SA Red Cross Society and Laudium Disaster Management.

“The COVID-19 pandemic hit the people of South Africa extremely hard, whether directly through suffering the effects of the disease or losing loved ones and by virtue of the long-term economic fallout and resulting job losses,” says Neale Hill, MD of Ford South Africa.

Over 285 000 face shields were produced by marque, almost 140 000 were donated to the National Department of Health and over 7 000 were donated to NGOs.

Apart from that, a number of Ford Everests and Rangers were loaned to NGOs such as the Gift of the Givers Foundation, SA Red Cross Society and Laudium Disaster Management.

With that said, Ford South Africa invited us to a breakfast briefing where it announced its 2.5 million donation to the National Institute for Occupational Health to Bolster Covid-19 Surveillance System.

The program is run by the National Institute for Occupational Health (NIOH) to collect and analyse private and public sector employee data to strengthen workplace interventions, helping mitigate the transmission of Covid-19 and other diseases.

“The COVID-19 pandemic hit the people of South Africa extremely hard, whether directly through suffering the effects of the disease or losing loved ones and by virtue of the long-term economic fallout and resulting job losses,” says Neale Hill, MD of Ford South Africa. “It became abundantly clear during this global health crisis that we need a coordinated, data-driven and strategic approach to understanding and handling the pandemic, and targeting specific areas of concern.

“Therefore, helping fund the NIOH surveillance system with the R2.5-million donation is the logical next step in our commitment to partnering with the national government as it rolls out this project to ensure that the country is better equipped and resourced to manage this health crisis, and any others that may follow,” Hill says.