Airtel Zambia employees raise K75,606 to support COVID-19 initiatives in local communities

Employees at Airtel Networks Zambia Plc have raised K75,606 to support the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic to protect local communities. The donation is comprised of voluntary employee contributions, which were matched by a corporate donation from Airtel Africa plc as part of the “Airtel Changing Lives” campaign, bringing the total collected to K151, 213 for local communities.

Airtel Zambia employees recognise that they have a role to play in society to contribute to ongoing efforts by the Government of Zambia and like-minded organisations to protect the vulnerable in the communities where they live. The employees’ motivation is to help people from all walks of life and do this with respect and dignity and without prejudice.

The figure raised will be donated to various organisations under the Education and Health CSR Pillars to help bolster communities’ capacity to provide assistance to the affected communities.

Airtel Africa PLCand its constituents in the 14 markets in which it operates, including Zambia, have made it a priority to mitigate the impact of the pandemic by helping its customers access services, keeping communities informed with key messages on the pandemic and ensuring that all employees remain safe while disposing their duties and serving customers. The generosity of Airtel Zambia’s staff embodies the company’s values of being Alive, Inclusive and Respectful, and demonstrates the social investment maintained by Airtel Zambia in the country and the welfare of its people.

Apoorva Mehrotra, MD, Airtel Zambia stated, “I feel privileged to work in an organisation which actively embraces its social responsibilities, and it is no surprise to me that my colleagues have shown such generosity during what is proving to be such a difficult and troubling time.

The money raised will contribute to providing relief in various ways to affected communities. We will also deliver some of the funds to assist already designed programmes that are helping communities cope with dealing with the virus,”

Raghunath Mandava, CEO, Airtel Africa said, “We are delighted to match the donations made by our colleagues in Zambia to help local communities fight the effects of COVID-19. These donations will go a long way to strengthen ongoing COVID-19 relief efforts in local communities and we look forward to doing more to support our customers and the government to fight this pandemic. Airtel Africa maintains an absolute commitment to our customers across this great continent, and we will make every effort to advance their welfare and quality of life.”

Airtel Networks Zambia has also in recent past donated K5 million to the Government through the Ministry of Health to assist in the purchase of personal protective equipment for the front-line staff across the country.

Source: Airtel Zambia