Thandiwe commends MTN

By ALEX NJOVU

 
FIRST Lady Thandiwe Banda has commended MTN Zambia for taking on board education as part of its corporate social responsibility in addressing the country’s challenges.
Mrs Banda also commended the company’s members of staff for volunteering to support community empowerment initiatives as a way of showing their appreciation to the communities that support the mobile company.
The First Lady was speaking in Kitwe during the MTN 21 Days of Y’ello Care at Kampemba Basic School.
Mrs Banda, who started her primary school at Kampemba Basic School, said education is one of the biggest challenges that Zambia has faced over the years.
She said the complementary role being played by the private sector is instrumental in steering the country to development.
Mrs Banda said Government alone is not able to address all the needs required by learning institutions across the country.
She thanked MTN Zambia for refurbishing the school, saying the move will enhance the learning environment for pupils and ultimately improve their academic performance.
Mrs Banda also commended MTN Zambia’s partnership with the Zambia Red Cross Society to assist displaced victims of Misisi township who are currently living at the Independence Stadium campsite in Lusaka.
She said MTN has continued to show corporate responsibility by assisting communities with initiatives such as the campaign to eliminate malaria by 2015.
“To be back at this school is an exceedingly emotional moment for me and I really thank God that he has preserved my life so that I could be here in a different capacity. It is within the walls of this school that many years ago I sat behind a desk, listening to my teachers as they planted a seed that would later grow into the flower that is now me.
“Whatever the circumstances that may have transformed my life, I still feel like that humble girl who always yearned for knowledge from our teachers,” Mrs Banda said.
She said Zambia is one of the countries that adopted ‘education for all’ as one of its Millennium Development Goals at the world education forum in 2000.
She said Government has continued to increase the budgetary allocation to the Ministry of Education.
“ Between 2000 and 2010, Zambia has seen an increase in enrolment at basic schools at an average of 10 percent per year. In numerical terms, the basic school pupil population increased from 2.9 million in 2005 to 3.6 million in 2009. This is a clear indication of Government’s commitment to improving the education levels in the country,” Mrs Banda said.
And MTN Zambia chief executive officer Farhad Khan said the company spent about K100 million on the implementation of various projects in different communities during the 21 Days of Y’ello Care.
Mr Khan said MTN Zambia has identified the importance of having equal access to education and that the company believes that a learned society translates into positive economic growth.
“MTN Zambia believes that through our various corporate social responsibility programmes, we have an opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to social development in the communities we operate.
The past 21 days of May have seen MTN Zambia staff dedicate their time and resources to support different communities as part of our annual staff volunteer initiative,” Mr Khan said.