Corporate Social Responsibility

Y’ello Care

As a dedicated corporate citizen, MTN takes its corporate social responsibility seriously and works hard to give back to the community. In the world of MTN, this is called Y’ello Care, and each year, the company has 21 Days of Y’ello Care in which all employees contribute their finances and their time to ensure that MTN meets its goal of adding value to the lives of the communities in which it works.

MTN is taking social responsibility as seriously as expected from a leading company in Zambia. Highlights of this year’s programme, which are ongoing, include several projects that ensure sustainability and act as a catalyst for growth and stability within the communities.

Chiti Community School definitely got the Y’ello Care touch in 2008. A full seven days were dedicated to the school. It was chosen as a candidate for Y’ello Care because the school looks after orphaned and vulnerable children.

The school has 8 teachers and 3 classrooms to cater to a total of 552 students, who attend classes from grades 1 to 7.

MTN subscribers clubbed together with MTN and built a brand new classroom and made donations to the school, which included 328 school books for integrated science, English, mathematics and creative technology studies. Generous contributions of food and supplies were also given to the school.

Yamvwenu Transit Home and Orphanage Project

Picking up from the previous year, MTN showed even more commitment to the Yamvwenu Transit Home this year and decided to empower the orphanage by having a borehole drilled so that they could have water to grow vegetables.

After trying hard in rocky, difficult conditions, the rig finally struck water at 17h30 on the second day. It was a great relief as life giving water finally gushed forth. MTN quickly sprung into action, digging and preparing beds for the gardens. At the handover of the water pump on 6 June 2006, MTN were on hand to plant vegetables and fruit trees.

Again MTN donated nourishing food and valuable supplies.

The orphanage currently has a total of 126 children and also acts as a community school at which children are given the opportunity to learn and are fed.

The drilling of the borehole will ensure that they can grow fruit and vegetables to feed the children and sell some of the produce. This will be of great assistance at a time when there are no donations.

Kamfinsa Water Project

The Kamfinsa Police Camp community has faced challenges with water supply, grappling with inadequate and impure water as the dam that had been the main source of water supply collapsed due to erosion and aging. This resulted in no water being delivered to the homes in Kamfinsa Police Camp despite the camp being situated near a perennial stream called Kamfinsa.

MTN contributed financially to the sinking of the borehole that would supply water to the community in the camp. A borehole was sunk and in attendance were the smiling police officers with their commanding official. The MTN team sent representatives through each day to supervise the work and ensure that they were proceeding as promised to the community.

The camp has about 1,000 police officers, which combined with the officers’ families and other residents results in a community of about 6,000 people.

Kuomboka Ceremony

Kuomboka is a word in the Lozi language which literally means ‘to get out of water’. It is a flagship traditional ceremony that takes place at the end of the rainy season.

The Kuomboka ceremony took place on 12 April 2008. As a testimony to MTN’s commitment towards promoting arts and culture, the company donated paint for the royal barge, t-shirts and chitenges for the paddlers and K8 million for provisions for the paddlers. All in all, MTN donated K65 million to the success of this landmark cultural ceremony.

2010 FIFA World Cup™

The MTN Group will be Africa’s first ever global sponsor of the FIFA World Cup™. This is the first FIFA event of its kind to be hosted on African soil.

Announcing the Group’s US$65 million sponsorship over four years, MTN Group President and CEO Phuthuma Nhleko said: “This is probably the most significant global event that will take place in Africa in the foreseeable future. The event provides significant attractive opportunities for Africa to showcase its ability to host events of such magnitude.” MTN’s bold investment in sponsoring the event is in line with its championing of emerging and developing markets.

Congratulating MTN, FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter said that Africa’s time had come and that the continent would shine on the global stage in 2010. “It is historical that MTN is the first African company to be a global sponsor of the FIFA World Cup™, and I want to commend MTN and Mr Nhleko on this sponsorship,” said Blatter.

“MTN is ready to bring the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ to the mobile phones of millions of football fans in Africa and the Middle East. We are passionate about football and believe that it is a significant development area as it touches the lives of everyone, everywhere you go,” concluded Nhleko.