With impetus and overwhelming enthusiasm, MTN Uganda staff have kicked off their annual 21 day long staff volunteerism initiative dubbed 21 Days of Y’ello Care in which employees across MTN’s international footprint take time off to physically get involved in activities that uplift communities around them through financial, physical and emotional contributions of staff and MTN as a corporate citizen.
This year marks the 8th year of this initiative where staff members from all 22 MTN Operations go out to their different communities to make a positive impact on the lives of the people over a period of three weeks. This year the theme is ‘Investing in Education for All’ and once again MTN Uganda staff will travel to the different regions of Uganda to set up Regional ICT Hubs.
The first team has travelled to Kabale to Bishop Kivengere and Hornby High School where MTN Staff will help to refurbish the internet libraries in both institutions.
On Friday, MTN staff will head northwards to Fort Portal to the Kichwamba Technical Institute and Kabarole Public Library, both in Kabarole district. Kichwamba Insititute is famous for the massacre that took place on June 2nd 1998 where close to 100 students perished as a result of the Allied Democratic Front (ADF) Rebels. MTN staff contributed some computers and internet connectivity to the Institute.
During the 21 days, the staff will be involved in setting up ICT hubs in the five regions (East, West, North, Central and South West). This will complement the MTN Internet Bus, a vital component for the promotion of ICT in rural areas in an effort to bridge the gap between rural and urban areas.
Last week MTN Uganda launched its fully kitted, state of the art MTN Internet Bus worth UShs. 600 million. The Bus which is the first of its kind in Uganda, will go a long way in driving MTN Uganda’s vision of enhancing ICT Education across the country. The MTN Internet Bus which is equipped with sixteen high-end computer working stations as well as access to High speed Internet Connectivity Service using the world class data infrastructure powered by MTN 3G and 4G LTE Technology with Wi-Fi coverage. The Internet Bus is the first to be introduced in Uganda by MTN the Leader in the delivery of Bold Digital services.
Education is one of the most important investments a country can make to its people and its future and it is critical to reducing poverty and inequality and MTN Uganda realizes and understands the need for investment in the education sector.
MTN Chief Executive Officer Mazen Mroué said MTN Uganda staff activity will this year continue with the theme of “Investing in Education for all” adding that MTNs operations will engage in projects that have a positive impact on the education sector regionally.
“The issue of education is a key priority for most countries, and as we head towards the deadline for the achievement of the Millennium Development goals, this is taking on even more urgency. Many governments will not have achieved their targets for education by 2015, and it is therefore necessary for private businesses to do what they can to assist in achieving quality education for all,” he stated.
According to United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), each additional year of schooling can increase a person’s income by up to 10%, and raises average annual GDP by 0.37%.
“At MTN, we have refocused our interventions towards empowerment of the communities in various areas. Education is one such area which is very close to our hearts because of the direct link between improved literacy and the socio-economic status of any community,” Mroué added.
Funding of the project is solely dependent on contributions from MTN Staff who also physically get involved in the campaign activities. Leveraging on MTN’s regional presence across the country, the planned activities will allow a cross section of staff to participate in this worthy Corporate Social Responsibility initiative.