The phase III corona vaccine trial started last week. COVID-19 affects every country in the world and without a vaccine, the WHO estimates that almost 80% of the world will be infected at some point.
The Ndlovu Research Unit is the only research unit in Limpopo participating in the Covid-19 vaccine trial. In preparation for this, the facilities have been remodeled to meet the highest standards. New staff quarters were also built to accommodate the research team and families nearby.
We are pleased that the Ndlovu Research Center is one of the research centers participating in this study in the fight against such a tough pandemic that has affected the whole world.
An employee explains the conditions of participation to a study participant.The temperature of every visitor entering the site is measured.New employee buildings have been erected in which the new employees and their families can live.The study starts: the employees are incredibly excited.The first participants are registered.
We are very proud to announce that Peter Maffay’s anthem for the 25th anniversary of this year’s RTL telethon will be supported by the Ndlovu Youth Choir. The song “Hoffnung” was written in collaboration with Michael Patrick Kelly. For 25 years, RTL has been collecting donations for children in need, giving them a lot of hope.
“It’s also the perfect song for a very special year. A year in which we should all move closer together and pay more attention to each other. A year in which each and every one of us can use hope,” says Wolfram Kons, patron and presenter of the RTL telethon for 25 years.
This is also a concern for the Ndlovu Youth Choir. Originally initiated as a children’s aid program of the Ndlovu Care Group to provide a place to go for orphaned and vulnerable children and young people, they have benefited significantly from the support of many donors on their way to becoming a professional, internationally successful choir.
Thanks to their international success, such as reaching the final of the millionaire show “America’s Got Talent”, the members of the choir have become role models for people in rural South Africa. They have shown that no one has to remain trapped in poverty. That everyone has the chance to make something of their lives. Of course, this cannot always be achieved solely through one’s own efforts.
This is why there are initiatives such as the Hugo Tempelman Foundation and the RTL Spendenmarathon, whose financial support goes directly and precisely to where it is needed.
The anniversary show will start live on November 19, 2020 at 6 p.m. on RTL.
The song has been available in stores since November 6.
Thanks to the Hugo Tempelman Foundation, GIZ is supporting the Ndlovu Care Group with a generous donation. This made it possible to purchase equipment that the Ndlovu laboratory urgently needs in the fight against the corona pandemic in order to participate in SARS-CoV-2 PCR tests in a variety of ways. The total capacity that has now been built up in the laboratory is around 1500-2000 PCR tests per day. These can be performed with a turn-around time of less than 24 hours.
The ten thousand test kits donated make it possible to carry out free tests for the community of Moutse and help to better understand the current situation in the region.
Ndlovu Care Group has offered assistance to the South African Department of Health in the detection of the COVID19 pandemic. The NICD (National Institute for Communicable Diseases) has approved the laboratory’s standards and issued accreditation for COVID19 testing.
The laboratory was classified as an “overflow laboratory”. The recognition by the NHLS and the NICD as a partner laboratory for COVID19 testing is a very valuable recognition of the quality of the Ndlovu research laboratory. This will definitely contribute to the sustainability of the research laboratory in the future and is a way to expand the cooperation with the NHLS / NICD and the Ministry of Health in both provinces.
This could only be achieved through the generous support of GIZ. The Ndlovu Care Group would like to continue the cooperation and support South Africa in its efforts to improve health care and research, especially in the marginalized rural areas where infrastructure and quality services are often lacking.
We are sincerely grateful for the cooperation and the donation.
