Maravi

Bush arrives

Bush arrives
By Bright Mukwasa
Sun 01 July 2012, 13:24 CAT

FORMER US president George Bush and his wife Laura are in the country to launch the African Centre of Excellence for cancer prevention in women.

Bush and Laura will also provide $50,000 to upgrade a facility technologically at the University Teaching Hospital, announced US Ambassador Mark Storella yesterday. Bush, Laura and Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon executive director Doyin Oluwole arrived yesterday morning around 09:20 hours and were welcomed by Vice-President Guy Scott.

Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon is an initiative to leverage public and private investments in global health to combat cervical and breast cancer.

"…it is important to recognise that this is part of the Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon alliance which includes the United States government, the Bush Institute, UNAIDS as well as several different private organisations, including different pharmaceuticals. The total money that is being put in is certainly in millions of dollars and on this particular visit, president Bush and Mrs Bush are providing $50,000 themselves to upgrade a specific facility technologically at the University Teaching Hospital," Ambassador Storella told journalists yesterday after the arrival of Bush.

"President Bush, with Zambia's First Lady Dr Christine Kaseba, would also launch an African Centre of Excellence for cancer prevention in women. This will complement efforts put during their last December visit."

Ambassador Storella said while in the country Bush would also engage in some voluntary work.

"He will be here for just about less than a week and he is gonna be doing some volunteer work which he will do with his own hands. He Bush just said to the Vice-President Guy Scott 'I wanna demonstrate that no matter what your station in life is, the goal should be to serve people' and that's what he's gonna be trying to do," Ambassador Storella said.

He said the voluntary work that the Americans would be doing in collaboration with Zambians was at a "very personal level" as the Bushs, through the previous visit, had formed friendships with local people.

"He is here to carry forward work he is already doing in Zambia, including fighting HIV and AIDS, cervical cancer and breast cancer," said Ambassador Storella.

Labels: GW BUSH

posted by MrK @ 4:37 PM