MTN Uganda commissions a clean and safe water project for Bududa landslide survivors in Kiryadongo 

MTN Uganda and its partners in the MTN Kampala Marathon, including the Uganda Athletics Federation (UAF), Huawei, Rwenzori and New Vision have commissioned a water project in Kiryandongo from the proceeds collected during last year’s event.

The 6 months project was implemented using the Ushs 308 million shillings proceeds from the 9th edition of the MTN Kampala Marathon which MTN handed over to the Uganda Red Cross in February this year.

The Uganda Red Cross that was selected as the 2012 implementing partner for the project completed the construction of 10 boreholes, provision of 2500 jerry cans for storage and 100 sanitation tool kits each including a hoe, spade, pick axe, panga, hammer, rope and a wheel barrow. This was all in efforts to provide clean and safe water and improve sanitation for the survivors 2010 Bududa landslides that were resettled in Kiryandongo district. This calamity affected over 300 households that were settled in communities throughout Uganda including Kiryandongo.

Additional activities executed during the project included; the formation and training of 10 Water Source Committees in the different villages of the camp where the boreholes were constructed. There was also mobilization and sensitization on improvement of community sanitation resulting in the construction of 103 new household latrines within the communities.

Officials from MTN Uganda and representatives from the other stakeholders visited Kiryandongo to handover the water project to the community. The ceremony was presided over by the Honourable Minister of State for Disaster Preparedness, Hon. Musa Ecweru.

Speaking during the event, the MTN Uganda CEO Mazen Mroué said MTN Uganda will continue working with other partners to help make a difference in areas that matter most to the different communities in Uganda.

“MTN Uganda and our partners are committed to enhancing development in the communities in which we do business, not just by providing universal access to communication, but also through consistent contribution to provide basic and essential necessities such as clean and safe water, promotion of good hygiene and sanitation practices and supporting education in Uganda,” Mroué added. He extended appreciation to the co-sponsors of the MTN Kampala Marathon that were instrumental in making the event a success and as Uganda Red Cross and other 2012 MTN Marathon sponsors – the Vision Group, Huawei and Rwenzori as well as our Pinnacle Security, Uganda Athletics Federation and the Uganda Police for their support adding that their effort has yielded clean and safe water for the Bududa community living in Kiryadongo.

Mroué further reiterated that MTN Uganda is committed to partnerships with both the public and private sector to continue driving the national development of Uganda.

The displaced population was allocated land in this new area which had never had any settlement before and was generally water-stressed. That is why the Uganda Red Cross in partnership with MTN are trying to improve the current situation by increasing access to safe water supply, sanitation and hygiene conditions through construction of water sources. The land around Mutanda sub county in Kiryadongo which was allocated to the Bududa refugees was particularly lacking in terms of access to clean and safe water and hence its selection as the beneficiary for this project.

Bududa District which is a relatively new district created in 2006 with an approximate population of 146,000 people has over the years emerged as disaster prone area for landslides leaving the locals homeless and without access to safe water which made it an appropriate beneficiary of the proceeds from the Marathon.

The most recent landslide which occurred in June 2012 caused significant damage to farmland, crops, and livestock, claimed over 200 human lives and displaced an estimated 5,000 people.

Commenting at the event, the Member of Parliament for Kiryandongo, Honourable Sam Otada said, “If all businesses were as responsive as MTN Uganda to the plight of the communities where they operate then Uganda would be a much better place. The MTN Marathon is a unique platform where all Ugandans have the opportunity to contribute and make a difference; I call on my fellow Ugandans to answer this call and be part of this year’s event”.

The Minister of State for Disaster Preparedness, Honourable Musa Ecweru, commended MTN Uganda for consistently contributing to disaster response initiatives. He recognized MTN as a responsible Corporate citizen and a worthy developmental partner for the Government of Uganda.

He also applauded the co-sponsors of the Marathon the Vision Group, Huawei and Rwenzori and all Ugandans from far and wide that have consistently turned out in large numbers to not only participate in the MTN Kampala Marathon over the years as their commitment is what has made such  initiatives possible.

The MTN Kampala Marathon has since its inception in 2004 attracted over 100,000 entrants across local and international spheres and has to date raised close to Ushs 700 million to help the less privileged in various parts of the Uganda. This year’s event which will be the 10^th edition, is slated for Sunday 24^th November, 2013.

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In line with its commitment to enhance and impact journalism, media and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Africa, MTN Uganda sponsored three Ugandan journalists to attend the just concluded Highway Africa Conference in South Africa.

2013 marks the 12th year of MTN’s support of the Highway Africa Conference, which is the world’s largest gathering of African journalists to address challenges facing African journalists and assess the impact of technological changes on the media. The Conference is a project of Rhodes University (Grahamstown, South Africa), in partnership with Telkom, Absa Barclays and MTN. The number of MTN Operations sending sponsored journalists to the conference has increased over the years.

The three journalists; Charles Kodili -Gazzaman, Business Editor at Red Pepper, Arthur Oyako On-line Editor- New Vision and Ismail Ladu  Business Reporter with Daily Monitor took part in the three day  conference hosted by Rhodes University’s School of Journalism and Media Studies in partnership with the Department of Communications (South Africa), Corporate South Africa, development agencies and media associations.

For over a decade, the Highway Africa conference has been at the centre of Africa’s debates on journalism, media and Information and Communication Technology (ICT). The conference has over the years become the largest annual gathering of African journalists in the world. 

Welcoming the journalists back on Thursday 5th September 2013, MTN Uganda’s General Manager Corporate Services, Anthony Katamba expressed the company’s continued commitment to support the media fraternity both locally and on the continent as a whole.

“We are proud of the immense contribution of MTN Uganda in enabling Ugandan journalists to be part of critical reflection and engagement on what it means to be a media practitioner and scholar in the African continent. This is an annual conference to which MTN typically sponsors journalists from the business section of our key partner newspapers on recommendation of their CEOs and Editors in Chief. This is something MTN Uganda will continue doing as a commitment to our support for impactful journalism in the country and Africa at large,” Katamba said.
Commenting on their experiences at the just concluded Highway Africa Conference, the three journalists had the following comments:

Charles Kodili -Gazzaman, Business Editor at Red Pepper said, “It is definitely value for money for MTN giving us that opportunity to critically dissect the profession of journalism at the just concluded Highway Africa conference.”

Arthur Oyako, On-line Editor- New Vision said, “There is much to carry back home for somebody who draws life both from IT and journalism. The blend of policies and case studies was great. The evenings were just as good. I wish I could do this again next year. Thank you MTN.”

Ismail Ladu, Business Reporter at the Monitor Publications said, “Off course without the goodwill of MTN, such an opportunity could have taken long to come by. I am thankful that I was able to network and share experiences with the great speakers and fellow journalists from across the African continent. We were able to exchange ideas on how we can practice our trade-journalism. That was definitely the icing on the cake. I thank MTN for making all this possible”. 

Key note speakers at the Conference included among others, the Honourable Minister Edna Molewa, Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, Government of the Republic of South Africa. She noted that the media has an immense role to play in the continent’s development agenda adding that the Conference provided a forum for discussion on sustainable development and tit bits on how the media can educate African people on what little things they could do in their own environments that could make a difference.

In his opening remarks, Dr Sizwe Mabizela the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Rhodes University said the Conference which started off as an ad-hoc conference featuring just 65 delegates in 1996 has grown into a highly prestigious conference and the most pre-eminent platform for journalists, media practitioners and professionals, policy-makers and others to exchange views and reflect on the challenges facing their profession and practice in the African continent and beyond.

This years’ Highway Africa Conference theme was ‘Speaking truth to power? Media, Politics and Society’ and participants were taken through a multi-pronged programme with the following components: 
Research: mapping the terrain of the challenges of the interface of technology, journalism and the media;
Education and Training: responding to the identified gaps this project makes a practical intervention by re-skilling, upskilling, educating and training journalists;

Reporting Development: this is our new and exciting project that seeks challenge and transform how African journalism and media cover the development agenda. The project consists of three elements – a web portal (www.reportingDNA.org), an annual Reporting Development Forum and training workshops.
Conference: the flagship of the programme, it is the forum for critical reflection on journalism, media, technology and development in Africa.

About MTN Uganda
Launched in 1998, MTN Uganda is the leading communications operator in Uganda, offering Mobile and Fixed telecommunications, Mobile Money Services and Internet Service Provisioning. As of 30 June 2013, MTN Uganda recorded 8 million subscribers across Uganda. Visit us at www.mtn.co.ug and for our football fanswww.mtnfootball.com. Customers can also follow us on www.youtube.com/mtnug andwww.twitter.com/mtnugandacare for assistance.

About the MTN Group
Launched in 1994, the MTN Group is a leading emerging market operator, connecting subscribers in 22 countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The MTN Group is listed on the JSE Securities Exchange in South Africa under the share code: “MTN.” As of 30 June 2013, MTN recorded 201.5 million subscribers across 22 countries. Visit us atwww.mtn.com, www.mtnbusiness.com, www.mtnmmo.com  and for our football fanswww.mtnfootball.com