MTN focuses on environment, health in 21 Days of Yhello Care Programme

15th December, 2010 - 3:12 PM

The staff of Nigeria's leading telecommunications company, MTN across the country will from June 1 embark on a series of community-based activities under the company's annual  staff volunteerism programme aptly tagged 21 Days of Y'ello Care. It is the third edition of the programme initiated in 2007 by the MTN Group to encourage staff of the company in all its 21 operations in Africa, Asia and the Middle East to volunteer their resources, time and skills to help others and the communities they live and work in.

For the maiden edition of the programme, staff of MTN Nigeria participated in over 70 activities such as traffic control, tree planting, clearing of drains, cleaning of public places, hospital and orphanage visitations as well as career counselling of students. Last year, they participated in more than 117 different volunteer activities, touching lives and bringing hope and cheer to the poor and the underprivileged.

For this year's edition, MTN Nigeria is focussing on the environment in line with the global efforts to stem the general deterioration of the environment. Volunteers will also pay attention to the health and the general wellbeing of the people.

Activities lined up include environmental sanitation exercises, tree and flower planting, rehabilitation of public schools' football pitches, breast cancer awareness campaign, hospital and orphanage visitations, HIV/AIDs sensitisation lectures and health check-up exercises, football tournaments among numerous activities.

Staff members are also being encouraged to give away personal effects that they no longer need, but which can be of tremendous value to the less privileged members of the society. The materials are being collected in huge yellow baskets placed at convenient locations in all the company's offices nationwide. 

It is our profound pleasure to usher in another exciting period of positively impacting our communities individually as staff of MTN Nigeria said Mr. Wale Goodluck, MTN's Corporate Services Executive. He said the concept of corporate social investment is deeply entrenched in MTN's corporate culture, adding that MTN's commitment to positively affecting the lives of the people under its sphere of influence is shown all year round in the numerous social projects we embark upon. Mr. Goodluck further explained that  the 21 Days of Y'ello Care programme offers a unique platform to get our staff personally involved in showing love, care and attention to our people and our communities'

For this edition of 21 Days of Y'ello Care, we are again going all out to put smiles on faces and make a difference in the lives of many people, Goodluck said.

The programme kicks off on 1 June, with the CEO, Mr. Ahmad Farroukh leading MTN staff to plant flowers and trees, among other activities slated for the company premises in Ikoyi, Lagos. It will be rounded off with football tournaments in Lagos and other regions on 21 June.

According to Mr. Goodluck, 21 Days of Y'ello Care is consistent with MTN's commitment to contributing to the socio-economic well being of its host communities.