Jumia donates 100,000 masks to support Community Health Workers in Kenya fighting COVID-19

In addition to offering the support of its logistics ecosystem to support the distribution of essential goods

Nairobi 9th April 2020: – Leading eCommerce platform Jumia donated 100,000 masks to the Ministry of Health to support community health workers, who are on the front line responding to suspected and confirmed cases of #COVID19. The donations were received by AMREF Health Africa and Red Cross, which serve under the National Response Committee.

The eCommerce platform has also offered the support of its integrated logistics network to support the distribution of essential food and PPE equipment (as part of the SafeHands Coalition)

“Front line workers all across the country are protecting us and leading the fight against COVID-19. These heroes deserve our full support – and it is with this aim that we are making a small contribution to the fight. E-commerce platforms like Jumia, with cashless payments and contactless delivery capabilities, are uniquely positioned to be part of Kenya’s response strategy to this pandemic. And stand ready to serve”, said Sam Chappatee, Jumia Kenya CEO.

According to the National Response Committee, the masks will further the efforts against the spread of the virus in the country.

“The face masks will be distributed to the health workers, who are on the front line responding to suspected and confirmed cases of #COVID19,” said Dr. Githinji Gitahi, the Group CEO of Amref Health Africa.

Jumia’s actions to support the government in its fight against COVID-19 include:

● Facilitation of social distancing by enabling consumers to buy online. By offering contactless and cashless delivery options, we eliminate physical contact and potentially reduce person to person infection.

● Providing access to affordable basic foods and sanitary essentials on their platform. By partnering with thousands of vendors, we are able to control prices & hoarding behaviour.

● Offering Jumia’s logistics networks to help distribute test kits, health pamphlets & key products to where they are needed (countrywide).

● Leveraging our team in China to source critical PPE equipment quickly & at affordable prices. So far we have sourced millions of masks & PPE for governments & private healthcare providers in Kenya & across Africa

About Jumia

Jumia is a leading e-commerce platform in Africa. It is built around a marketplace, Jumia Logistics, and JumiaPay. The marketplace helps millions of consumers and thousands of sellers to connect and transact. Jumia Logistics enables the delivery of millions of packages through our network of local partners. JumiaPay facilitates the payments of online transactions within the Jumia’s ecosystem. With over 1 billion people and 500 million internet users in Africa, Jumia believes that e-commerce is making people’s lives easier by helping them shop and pay for millions of products at the best prices wherever they live. E-commerce is also creating new opportunities for SMEs to grow, and job opportunities for a new generation to thrive. For more information about Jumia, follow us on Twitter @Jumia_Group