Thursday 13th June 2019 – Bulambuli District, Eastern Uganda
Two weeks into its staff-driven Corporate Social Responsibility dubbed ‘21 Days of Y’ello care’ (21DOYC), MTN Uganda has lit up the entire resettlement of landslide survivors set up by the Office of the Prime Minister in Bulambuli district in its ‘Light up a village’ campaign.
Following the landslides in Bududa last year, the Office of the Prime Minister through the Ministry of Disaster Preparedness acquired land to construct 900 houses for purposes of resettling the affected families. As part of our Y’ello Care activities, MTN staff will participate in installing solar lighting in all the 110 existing houses in Bulambuli village.
The MTN staff will also plant trees to better the environment and donate clothing and foodstuffs to the families in the village. In a special arrangement, the youth in Bulambuli resettlement camp will also be reached and empowered with vocational skills.
Speaking at the handover ceremony, Mr. Gordian Kyomukama, the Chief Technical Officer at MTN Uganda said that;
“As a trusted partner in the development of this nation, it gives us pride to participate further in the humanitarian initiatives fronted by the government. We stand with the survivors of the landslides in Bududa and are here to further improve the quality of their livelihood in this settlement. This is in line with our mission to make the lives of Ugandans better.”
In his keynote speech, the Minister of State for Relief and Disaster Preparedness, Hon. Musa Ecweru noted that the lighting provided by MTN will positively impact the lives of the people in the village.
“With this kind of infrastructure in place, I am sure the people in this area will not only live a comfortable life but they will be able to engage in power-driven income generating activities to better their lives,” Hon. Ecweru said.
21DOYC is global award-winning voluntary staff program that sees the MTN Uganda staff stepping out of their offices to make a difference in the lives of the communities within which they work in every year. This is the 13th edition of the annual program.
The three week-long program is an organic and voluntary corporate social responsibility
Platform that entails giving back to the community in various ways but not limited to community clean-ups, health center refurbishments and donations.
This year, the 21 Days of Y’ello Care focuses on one of the most critical issues affecting countries across the globe – Youth Empowerment – under the theme ‘Creating a Brighter Future’.
Uganda is the second youngest population in the world with 78 percent of the population below 30 years, second to Niger’s 83 percent (UNDP, 2016).
In Uganda, 30 percent of the youth who are qualified from tertiary institutions have difficulty transiting into the labour market. The situation is worse for youths that are semi-skilled or unskilled.
Evidence indicates that unemployed youths in Uganda engage in socio-economic ills like gambling (sports betting), drug abuse and also engage in criminal activities. Many times, it is such unemployed youth groups that have destabilized peace around the country engaging in demonstrations (ACODE, 2014).
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Wednesday 12th June, 2019 – Bududa District, Eastern Uganda
MTN Uganda has donated non-food relief items worth Ugshs 30 million to the victims of the recent Bududa landslides.
The landslides that happened early last week have so far left 6 dead and scores injured while over 80 households have been washed away, leaving hundreds of survivors with no shelter, food and warm clothing among other needs.
Led by MTN Uganda’s Corporate Services General Manager, Ms. Enid Edroma, MTN staff supported the relief efforts of the Uganda Red Cross Society in Bududa by donating warm clothes and blankets as a temporary support to the victims.
The Guest of honor, Lutsehe County Area MP Hon. Godfrey Watenga Nabutanyi and Hon. Justine Khainza Woman MP Bududa received the items in a handover ceremony held in Bududa this morning.
While handing over the items, Ms. Edroma expressed MTN’s heartfelt sympathy to the people of Bududa.
“We understand that this is such a trying time for you. We however hope that this little support we have rendered will offer you some comfort,” Ms. Edroma said, “Beyond being a telecom business entity, MTN Uganda is committed to positively impacting the lives of the communities it serves.
In his keynote remarks, Hon. Nabutanyi thanked MTN for remembering his community in its time of need.
“As you can see, many of the people have been left with nothing. These items that you have provided are very much appreciated. We thank MTN for being our trusted friends,” Hon. Nabutanyi said.
Hon Khainza noted that over 100,000 people are living precariously in Bududa district. The government recently started relocating landslide victims in the district to Bunambutye Sub-county in Bulambuli District. More than 90 families who survived the October 2018 landslides have so far been relocated to the area where 101 houses were built out of the planned 900 houses.
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