Livingstone Widows association receives shot in the arm

Livingstone Widows association receives shot in the arm

Livingstone, June 20, ZANIS….. Heinrich Beverages has today handed over a Training centre building for recycling plastic products worth KR 100,000(K100 Million) to Livingstone Widows Association.

Heinrich Beverages Manager  Ronny Palale, says that his company seeks to partner with private and
public sectors in many areas with the aim of adopting a holistic approach to sustainable management of the product waste.

ZANIS reports that the International Brewing company’s manager said this during the handover ceremony, in Livingstone, today.

He noted that the company was aware of the increasing expectation from government to take appropriate preventive measures in both pre-consumer and post-consumer packaging value chains in order for used products to have the lowest possible impact on the environment.

Mr. Palale envisaged that the partnership with the Livingstone widows Associations to recycle the products from the company will not only help in keeping the environment clean but also create a sustainable livelihood for many women and youths in Livingstone.

“ As a company we are aware of the increasing expectation from government to take necessary preventive actions in both our pre-consumer and post-consumer packaging value chains to ensure that
our post-consumer packaging waste can be brought into the system thereby eliminating the need to send it to landfills across the country.

“And therefore our partnering with the widows Association of Livingstone in recycling of our products through making of various goods makes sense for us as this not only takes care of the
environment but it also creates a sustainable livelihoods for many women and youths in the tourist capital, ,” said Mr. Palale.

Mr. Palale also expressed hope that the products that would be made from the centre will be show cased during the United Nations World Tourism General Assembly (UNWTO) in August, this year.

And Southern province Minister Mr. Daniel Munkombwe said there was need for companies operating in the country to show interest and passion to keep the environment clean through innovative ways such as recycling of the packed products.

Mr. Munkombwe observed that business houses should devise appropriate and feasible measures to invest in recycling or refuse infrastructure and also promote recycling amongst consumers of their goods to keep environment clean.

The minister said this in a speech read on his behalf by District Development Officer Mr. Steven Chikate during the handover ceremony.

He thanked Heinrich Beverages for recognizing the talent of widows in making artifacts from used Maheu bottles by investing in construction of the building for them to be operating from.

“  Today we congratulate Heinrich Beverages for spending KR100,000 in this day and age for a good cause which not be taken lightly and I wish to thank the company for showing commitment to the plight of widows in Livingstone,” said Mr. Munkombwe.

“I also want to advise you to guard this building jealously and let us not hear that six months from today that this place is now a shell and has been vandalized,” Mr. Munkombwe added.

He urged other companies in the country to emulate what Heinrich Beverages was doing in promoting recycling as a sustainable waste management system and thereby helping the most vulnerable in society.

The Minister further encouraged the women to come up with other sustainable ventures for them to generate more income.

Meanwhile, Provincial Widows Association Coordinator, Ms Christine Mwalongo thanked the company for coming to the aid of the more than 50 widows.

She noted that the centre will also help the Association to generate income through the booking of the building for other functions.