MTN Uganda on Friday, 2nd June launched its 11th annual Corporate Social Responsibility drive dubbed “Y’ello Care” with a call to social media users to join MTN staff in an online awareness campaign to break down traditional barriers to education by sharing information about education in their countries under the hashtags #ShareKnowledge and #YelloCare.
The 21 Days of Y’ello Care is a staff volunteerism campaign that encourages MTN staff across the world to support impactful social development initiatives within the communities in which they live and work. The programme is largely funded by contributions from the staff and runs until the 21st of June across all the 22 MTN operating units under the theme “Investing in Education for All.”
At Bukoto Muslim Primary School where this year’s edition of Y’ello Care was launched, the MTN CEO, Wim Vanhelleputte led his staff, the teachers and pupils in cleaning the school compound, repainting the school library and classroom block.
MTN also donated scholastic items including pens and pencils, exercise books, mathematical sets and textbooks with accompanying Teacher’s Guide books to restock the library plus a computer fully connected to the internet. For the Ramadhan period, MTN donated an assortment of food stuffs including rice, posho, cooking oil, baking flour to the school.
Addressing the Staff, parents and pupils of Bukoto Muslim Primary School, MTN CEO Wim said, “At MTN, our key priority area for community investment is Education and we believe that there is a direct link between improved literacy and the socio-economic status of any community. We are committed to support such initiatives that further enhance human capacity building as a catalyst for economic development.”
“We believe education should not be a privilege but a fundamental right of every child. That is why at MTN we are making it a reality for every child to have the opportunity to have an enriching education,” he added.
The Guest of Honour, Kampala City Council Authority Director of Education and Social Services, Miss Juliet Namuddu Nambi hailed MTN Uganda and KCCA’s continued partnership in investing in improvement of education standards in the city. Citing MTN’s recent donation of funds raised from the MTN Kampala Marathon to construct bio-pit latrines in schools across the city,she encouraged corporate organisations and the private sector to emulate MTN’s initiative, in supplementing government’s efforts to enable access to quality education for all under its Universal Primary and Secondary Education programme for Ugandans.
Mr. Kakembo Hakim, the Headmaster thanked MTN for its kind gesture, promising to ensure that the donated items would be safeguarded and put to their intended use. He encouraged the parents to ensure their children attend school regularly in order to benefit from MTN’s support.
In attendance was the Town Clerk Nakawa Division Miss Rosette Natumanya, Inspector of Schools Nakawa Division, LC Chairperson Joan Kasirye Akiiki, the Imam, School Management Committee members and parents of the school children.
21 Days of Y’ello Care will see MTNers this year visit schools and educational institutions around the country, to donate scholastic and food items, carry out classroom renovations and support literacy projects and provide information communication technology (ICT) training and digital educational content to schools.
The finale event will be held at Pagirinya Refugee Settlement Camp in Adjumani where MTN staff will give back to both the refugee and host communities. MTN staff will hand over latrines, a water harvester among other scholastic materials and food rations.