Multiple Sclerosis receives N$200,000 support from FirstRand Namibia Foundation
The FirstRand Namibia Foundation recently handed over a donation of N$200,000 to Multiple Sclerosis Namibia at a fundraising engagement session held to create awareness about the disease and garner support for MS Namibia.
“I was diagnosed with MS in 2007,” said Bianca Ozcan Founder of Multiple Sclerosis Namibia. “The sad and shocking news of having MS and having to live with a debilitating disease for the rest of my life, made me realise, that there is more to MS than just living with it. I had to do something to form a base for others in Namibia, that’s when the organisation was formed.”
She added that the main purpose of MS Namibia is to raise awareness about the disease to reach an early diagnosis and for extended longevity. “However, we also support MSers and their families with information dissemination, guidance and medical equipment and supplements if and when our finances allow, seeing that MS is a rare disease, we work on an estimate of 0.001% of the total population which brings us to roughly 2 400, however, on our database we have about 50 patients.”
In her address Revonia Kahivere, CSI Manager at FirstRand Namibia Foundation stated that the past two years have taught us that health is the biggest wealth for a human being. “it is with great pleasure that we hand over an amount of NAD 200 000 to MS Namibia – the only established Multiple Sclerosis organisation in Namibia. We have been part of MS Namibia in one way or another for numerous years and are privileged to be able to help.”
The FirstRand Namibia Group’s vision is ‘to be a great Namibian financial services group, creating a better world’ and this also encompasses the community and health development of our nation. “If we all continue to work hard, identify the crises areas in our healthcare system and strive towards the same goals, we are bound to play a positive part in creating a happy and healthy nation,” Kahivere added.
Dalene Gous, Ilse Bock and Bianca Ozcan.
