Bank donates K50,000 to Anglicare PNG

THE Bank of South Pacific had donated K50,000 to Anglicare PNG to support the setting up of its food storage facility.
BSP’s head of marketing and public relations Gorethy Semi said it was an important step to improving service delivery for Anglicare PNG.
“BSP has been a committed supporter of the work of the organisation. We are pleased that BSP can directly contribute to the health and well-being of those who use this service,” Semi said.
Semi said BSP had a strong corporate stand on HIV/AIDS awareness and was part of the Business Coalition Against HIV AIDS (BAHA).
Anglicare PNG corporate manager Collin Andamale said BSP had stood with Anglicare “by supporting what we do in the communities”.
Anglicare national director Heni Meke said the food bank and storage facilities would enable Anglicare to provide nutritious meals to its beneficiaries.
The initiative is in line with the World Health Organisation’s recommendations to providef food baskets at the start of antiretroviral treatment to combat the excessive hunger that people with HIV, especially those initiating treatment, may experience.
“While rapid scale-up of access to ART is a positive thing, starting patients on ART without ensuring full adherence through an adequate nutritional support system is likely to lead to treatment failure,” Meke said.