By CHILA NAMAIKO –

. LUNGU

FIRST Lady Esther Lungu has launched a Foundation Trust which seeks to reduce vulnerability of the underprivileged persons using gender sensitive, participatory and environmentally sustainable approaches to improve their livelihoods.
The Esther Lungu Foundation Trust (ELFT) will leverage its position to address issues relating to economic empowerment, maternal, child and neo-natal health, and environment especially water and sanitation.
Speaking during the launch at the Government Complex on Saturday evening, Ms Lungu said ELFT targeted vulnerable women, girls and children and would also have a deliberate policy to empower the persons with disabilities.
“The ELFT has been established as a result of not only the compelling situation of my position as First Lady of the Republic of Zambia, but mainly because of my passion for uplifting the wellbeing of humanity.
“It is my expectation that the existence of this Foundation Trust will continue even after my tenure as First Lady of the republic,” she said.
ELFT aims to have a healthy, economically and socially empowered community in Zambia to improve the socio-economic well-being of the underprivileged through among other concerns gender sensitive and participatory approaches.
She said that ELFT would build capacity of its target group through advocacy, public and financial mobilisation and partnerships at both national and international levels.
“This launch is to enable us share our vision for helping our country and to encourage you to support ELFT in a way that suits you, be that as a donor or as an advocate encouraging others to support the work of the foundation,” she said.
ELFT can be accessed on its website www.elft.org.com and attracts the goodwill of many donors hence it would ensure transparency, accountability and governance.
Huawei country director Emillion Ming pledged to support ELFT to help improve the livelihoods of vulnerable people and hailed the First Lady for her initiative.
Lafarge Zambia PLC chief executive officer Emmanuel Rigaux, whose company donated 1,000 bags of cement to ELFT, pledged to continue supporting ideas aimed at reducing vulnerability among communities.
Among other institutions that donated to ELFT were, the Chinese Embassy in Zambia with about $30,000, the Chinese Women in Zambia donated 210 sewing machines, 13 hammer mills, and 13 peanut butter making machines.
The staff at Zambian embassy in South Africa with 100 blankets, the diplomats’ club in Zambia gave K30,000, the Lusaka Indians Ladies Association (LILA) donated five sewing machines and a borehole.
The launch, whose key sponsors among others were Huawei and Zambia Breweries, was attended by Cabinet ministers and diplomats.