Despite many challenges and delays, the first of four PPE distribution drives by the Cape Town-based public innovator DGMT rolled out in late July, bringing a month’s supply of masks, gloves, sanitisers and face shields to tens of thousands of relieved care workers, along with a host of support mechanisms.
Walking into a brand new job at DGMT just two weeks before lockdown, Sinazo Nkwelo suddenly found herself in the role of project manager of the Masked Heroes campaign. It was quickly becoming a massively ambitious and multi-pronged national project. She got straight to work.
“When you procure from China you have to be strict about quality control specifications so the PPE doesn’t get held up going through a second certification process when it reaches South Africa. A lot of it was getting turned around and sent back, or worse, dumped in our landfills.
“When we heard the shields were going to the Masked Heroes campaign, we dropped our invoice to the lowest cost price. We wanted to help the community and we figured it was better to see them being used where they were needed instead of just sitting in the warehouse,” Reza Khader said. “If we were not in this situation we would also have been sitting at home. Instead we have been able to focus on something constructive to do, knowing that it will make a difference and proving that not everything is doom and gloom,” said Smit.
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