Airtel Nigeria, leading telecoms services provider, has reaffirmed its commitment to empowering and uplifting underprivileged people across communities where it operates as it announces the commencement of the seventh edition of its flagship CSR and sustainability initiative, ‘Airtel Touching Lives’.
Speaking during the press conference held in Lagos, October 4, 2022, Surendran Chemmenkotil, chief executive officer & managing director, Airtel Nigeria, noted that the Initiative is an opportunity for the telco to connect with host communities as well as focus on the company’s sustainability agenda for Africa.
“Last year, Airtel Africa announced an ambitious sustainability agenda with a strong focus on providing access to digital learning for underprivileged children, working closely with the government to uplift the standard of primary education through the adoption of schools and providing access via financial inclusion to the underbanked and unbanked”, he said.
According to him, to implement this agenda, Airtel Nigeria through Season 7 of the Airtel Touching Lives programme, will mostly seek causes and opportunities that speak broadly and primarily to digital and financial inclusion as well as the adoption of schools.
Furthermore, Surendran said, “one of the biggest projects we embarked on in the previous season was the adoption of Government Day Nursery and Primary school in Gombe State under our Adopt-a-School programme.”
“We renovated 37 classrooms, two teachers’ offices, modernized the toilet facilities in the school, reactivated the borehole facilities with clean pipe borne water and provided furniture for the teachers’ offices as well as educational supplies for the students.”
Other past projects highlighted by the CEO include the renovation of the Ward A block in Lagos State Teaching Hospital (LUTH); The refurbishment of the Library for Blind people and rehabilitation of an IDP Camp clinic facility in season 5 and provision of an ultra-modern public water system for a large community in Ajah in season 4, among others.
“I am excited, and I look forward to the nominations and the projects that will be implemented, and I also wish to assure you all that as always, Season 7 will not be different from past editions as we will continue to focus on the vision and philosophy of Airtel Touching Lives,” he continued.
Airtel is officially inviting the public to nominate individuals or communities by dialling 367 or by sending an SMS to Shortcode, 367. Entries can also be sent via email to [email protected].
Airtel Touching Lives takes the format of a reality television show, with the public able to nominate issues, communities, and poor people/people with special needs.
Following that, the telco evaluates and selects the causes to support, then the activities are filmed and broadcast on terrestrial and satellite television stations with the goal of inspiring other corporate organisations as well as individuals to join in empowering the underserved across society.
