Determined to demystify the Bold New Digital World, MTN Uganda staff, fresh from Arua on regional education initiatives have stormed Jinja in Eastern Uganda where they set up an ICT Hubs at Busoga University which has a student population of 18,500.
The MTN Uganda staff took time off to physically get involved in activities at the University where they set out to refurbish the ICT laboratory with a number of much needed ICT equipment. This time round the team comprised of staff from Marketing, Business Risk Management and the IT Shared Services. The staff donated a projector, projector screen, multipurpose printer, one laptop, an LCD television screen and internet connectivity for a year. They have also committed to paint the laboratory building.
With this newly refurbished ICT hub set up at the University, the student body will benefit greatly from a more interactive facility that will also be open to other students in surrounding areas. The ICT hub that has been fully furnished and facilitated by MTN Uganda staff, will be powered MTN Uganda’s word-class internet. This project should have a direct benefit to the students, and the community at large in Busoga sub-region.
MTN’s 21 Days of Y’ello Care started eight years ago, and has so far successfully brought together staff from across the MTN Group footprint in 22 MTN Operations. It is during this period that MTNers go out to their different communities to make a positive impact on the lives of the people over a period of three weeks. ‘Investing in Education for All’ is the theme for this year and MTN Uganda staff have been on the road since the beginning of June to take basic ICT services to the different regions of the country; they have so far covered the West and Northern region.
“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,” said MTN Uganda’s Chief Marketing Officer Ernst Fonternel who represented MTN Uganda leadership at the activation in Jinja.
A few weeks ago 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.
“At MTN, we have redirected 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,” Fonternel 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.