As the fight to curtail the third wave of the deadly coronavirus continues here, Liberia’s biggest GSM Company, Lonestar Cell MTN has donated facemasks, hands sanitizers, and other detergents to members of the Liberian media, a key partner in the ongoing fight.
Lonestar Cell MTN on Thursday, July 8, 2021, presented a huge quantity of COVID- 19 preventive materials to the Reporters Association of Liberia or RAL, to help the organization and its members prevent contracting the virus.
Lonestar Cell MTN Corporate Communication Manager Ms. Lisa White says the gesture is the company’s way of identifying with the Liberian media in the fight against the deadly pandemic that has taken over 100 lives since the emergence of the Delta variant in the country.
“As you all are aware, the role you play as journalists in the society is pivotal to the growth and development of this country”, Ms. White remarked during a brief ceremony held at the headquarters of the Press Union of Liberia in Monrovia.
The company presented 1,000 pieces of face masks and hands sanitizers to the Reporters Association of Liberia.
Ms. White says Lonestar Cell MTN has gone beyond just a mobile company, saying, “We are more than a mobile company; we are a major implementing partner to the government, and today is another milestone for us to collaborate with you members of the media.”
She recalls that on January 27, 2021, the African Union and the MTN group pledged US$25 million to assist the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She adds that the African CDC has secured seven million COVID-19 vaccine doses that would be rolled out to healthcare workers in all 55 member States.
Also speaking, the communication lead for the Incident Management System Chester Smith, extols Lonestar Cell MTN for the donation. “We at the Incident Management System are excited to form part of this presentation”, he says.
“We want to applaud our partner Lonestar Cell MTN for this kind gesture, from the angle of the incident management we think helping the media in these critical times will go a long way.”
Mr. Smith describes the role of the media in the fight as pivotal and hopes the items will be used for reporters to prevent themselves.
The president of the Reporters Association of Liberia Madam Cecelia Clarke similarly lauds Lonestar Cell MTN for the gesture and notes the collaboration with the GSM company will go a long way in moving the country forward.
“We look forward to receiving additional donations from partners and other stakeholders, and we encourage other bigger institutions to do the same.”