MTN SA’s Y’ello Care Bus has returned to base after celebrating the company’s 30th anniversary by helping more than 4 700 South African school children get their hands on digital educational technologies.
According to a statement, the ‘tech library on wheels’ initiative forms part of MTN SA’s flagship employee volunteerism programme, 21 Days of Y’ello Care, now extended to 30 Days of Y’ello Care.
The annual programme aims to help bridge the digital divide by taking educational technology resources to rural schools, where resources such as libraries and digital teaching tools are lacking.
This year’s initiative, themed “learn today, lead tomorrow”, focuses on bridging the educational divide in underserved communities across MTN’s operational footprint. Resources include computers, tablets and a variety of books.
During June, the Y’ello Care mobile tech library covered 1 287km as it travelled across Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Free State and North-West, frequently stopping at selected schools to bring tech resources to pupils.
Where schools could not be reached by the Y’ello Care Bus, employees from MTN regional offices delivered laptops, tablets, stationery and sanitary products to assist disadvantaged learners with their day-to-day needs, according to MTN SA.
“Every June since 2007, MTN employees across South Africa have been involved in local initiatives to give back to the communities they serve. This year, over 1 100 MTN employees supported Yello Care campaigns to mark our watershed anniversary, which coincides with the introduction of democracy to South Africa,” says Arthur Mukhuvha, GM of MTN SA Foundation.
In June, MTN staff used their skills and the Y’ello Care mobile library to visit 11 secondary schools in small towns and villages. This brought learning opportunities to children who − because they are from marginalised communities − have little access to quality education.
The bus aimed to help level the academic playing field by ensuring children can access the same quality education as their peers in urban centres.
The mobile library is designed to support MTN’s tech-driven community programmes, to which it has been committed for many years, notes the company. Throughout the month, learners from five provinces were encouraged to use the bus facilities to access online educational resources, particularly those designed to support vital science, technology, engineering and mathematics subjects.
“The Y’ello Bus was a natural extension to our well-developed campaigns, which have for 30 years seen schools and community centres equipped with multimedia facilities. We are proud that by promoting learning and computer literacy, and helping learners embrace coding and robotics, we provide South African youth with opportunities to break free of the circle of poverty and disadvantaged lives to create new, exciting futures.”
“By reaching thousands of children, the mobile library is proving itself to be an invaluable tool in helping to reduce the deficits created by unequal access to education, social inequality and accessibility that still exist in South Africa. We are dedicated to continuing to address these inequalities and creating real opportunities for South Africans,” says Mukhuvha.
Share