Telco announces ICT labs to charity schools under its ‘Make Your Mark’ initiative
ISLAMABAD: Mobilink and Pakistan Centre for Philanthropy (PCP) held a signing ceremony under which the Telco will provide six state-of-the-art ICT labs to schools run by NGOs across Pakistan. Under the agreement, PCP as the project partner will recommend the schools in need of these ICT labs and will be responsible for the due diligence of the NGOs by ensuring that the recipients are serving marginalized social classes. This social investment project is being carried out by Mobilink under their ‘Make Your Mark’ (MYM) ICT Enhancement Program to support and uplift the local education sector.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Omar Manzur, Head of Corporate Communications – Mobilink said, “This partnership with Pakistan Centre for Philanthropy enables us to further expand on our social investment projects to enhance the local education sector through the latest in IT equipment. PCP being our partner will facilitate our initiative by short listing NGO run schools in need of these labs and ensuring these schools continue providing marginalized social classes access to these labs through routine checks.” He further added, “The initiatives planned under our ‘Make Your Mark’ program will offer support to a variety of beneficiaries to tackle the socio-economic challenges in Pakistan. The ultimate aim of MYM is enabling a generation of educated and tech-literate young people.”
Further elaborating on this partnership, Shazia Maqsood Amjad, Executive Director – PCP stated, “Corporations today are more involved in social and economic development around the world and Mobilink is right there amongst the most philanthropic companies owning to the work they have been doing since the past decade or more in Pakistan. We are elated to be a part of their ‘Make Your Mark’ program and will ensure we support their cause to the best of our abilities.” She said, PCP is a specialized intermediary not-for-profit institution dedicated to promoting national philanthropy for social development. As part of its endeavour to promoting philanthropic culture in the country, the Centre is engaged with all the three segments of society to help them work in a strengthened partnership for social development.
The ‘Make Your Mark’ initiative, launched by Mobilink last month, is a key element of VimpelCom’s corporate responsibility strategy, with the objective of ‘Helping young people shape their future’. It aims to provide young people with technology tools, support and mentoring, and in some cases access to basic education, to help them tackle these challenges at an individual, community and national level – to shape their future. Under the Make Your Mark umbrella, Mobilink has also partnered with LUMS Center of Entrepreneurship, Institute of Social and Policy Sciences, and Guarant Co. and is working on setting up an incubator for budding entrepreneurs, expanding its literacy program to reach out to an additional 3750 rural females in addition to establishing state-of-the-art ICT labs.
