Mtn group’s annual "21 Days of Y’ello Care” will focus on increasing access to education, as well as knowledge sharing and improving learning environment in its operations in Africa and the Middle East, the firm said in a statement yesterday.

It added that the firm’s staff in all its 22 operations will over the next three weeks engage in education-focused activities that seek to boost access to education as well as improve the learning environment in schools in their communities, including building or renovating classrooms, teaching learners and teachers basic computer skills, provision of digital educational content and raising funds to equip schools with Information Communication Technology (ICT) facilities, among others, "to help break barriers to education”.

In Rwanda, MTN employees will spend the next 21 days implementing a digital application to manage communication around education for teachers, students and the education department, according to the statement. The team will host ICT training, and mentorship and reading sessions.

They will also construct three classrooms, as well as install solar panels and water tanks to enable access to clean water, the statement added.

"Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s famous quote, "Be the change you want to see in the world,” we are launching this campaign to demonstrate the role of technology in enabling greater access to education.

"We are excited about this initiative because it is something that everyone in our communities can be part of,” said Chris Maroleng, the MTN Group executive for corporate affairs, in the statement.

The firm has also invited social media users across its operations to join its employees in a virtual campaign to break down traditional barriers to education, by sharing interesting facts during the period.

Using the hashtag #ShareKnowledge, members of the public with access to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, are encouraged to share fun facts or pieces of information that is less known about their countries, but it is of great interest to the world. The campaign aims to pass on knowledge and make learning fun, according to the statement.

Last year, over 10,000 employees participated in the campaign and built 10 classrooms, established 56 libraries and launched eight ICT labs.

"Their efforts benefitted more than 100,000 people in our communities,” said Maroleng.

Cash prize for the best campaigns

At the end of the programme, all MTN operations that participate in Y’ello Care stand to win monetary prizes, which are to be invested into CSI or community development programmes in their market.

These include the Group president and CEO prize of $100,000 and vice-president prizes for each region of $30,000.