MTN pulls down Street Academy School for reconstruction

To mark  the 10^th edition of its 21 Days of Y’ello Care staff volunteer programme, MTN staff are reconstructing the Street Academy School at Mensah Guinea Beach in Accra. Staff volunteers have pulled down the school’s wooden structure and replacing it with a concrete building. The facility will be completed with a study area, a kitchen, a dining room, storage area and an ICT learning area with internet access.

When completed, the facility will provide a conducive teaching and learning environment for pupils of the Street Academy School. The facility has also been expanded to create the opportunity for more street children within the Art Center and James Town enclave to be enrolled at the Street Academy.

Speaking on the project, the Executive Director of Street Academy Ataa Lartey expressed his excitement about the project. “I am excited MTN offered to help deprived children at the Academy. This new facility with an ICT component will motivate more children to come to school and also give them the opportunity to learn other skills in addition to sports and art programs currently being undertaken in the Academy.”

Commenting on the project the Corporate Services Executive of MTN Ghana,  Mrs. Cynthia Lumor, said, “by supporting this project, MTN is helping the children to stay away from the streets and to give them the skills they need to turn their potential into success.”

Operating under the theme, “Investing in Education for All”, MTN Ghana employees will also embark on additional educational projects in selected communities across Ghana for 21 days.

MTN has scheduled a number of activities to promote education and encourage the use of technology during the 21 days of Y’ello Care. These include Reading Clinics in select schools across the South Eastern, South Western and Northern Business Districts of MTN. Staff of MTN will engage pupils in reading, storytelling, writing and drawing. Schools at which the activities will take place include, St Francis of Assisi Primary & JHS in Sunyani, Bagabaga Demonstration School in Tamale, Community Special Vocational School in Kumasi, Presec and Kwashieman Cluster of schools in Accra, Tarkwa Cluster of Schools, Manford Cluster of Schools and Essikado Cluster of Schools.

MTN staff volunteers will also provide capacity training for teachers in select special schools. They will also create a common area for teachers at Dzorwulu Special School, Garden City Special School and Wa School for the Blind.

In addition, MTN volunteers will make available online supplementary reading materials for La Nativity Presby Basic School, Ridge JHS in Tamale, Adako Jachie MA Primary School in Kumasi, Anafo Bisi Primary JHS in Bongo, Aggrey Memorial  SHS in Cape Coast and Baaglo Binen JHS in the Volta region.

The 21 Days of Y’ello Care Challenge is an annual staff volunteer programme that runs across the MTN Group from 1^st to 21^st June. It was instituted 10 years ago and has grown to become one of the key activities on the MTN calendar. Y’ello care gives MTN staff an opportunity to brighten lives through volunteer work.

Among other things, the 21 Days of Y’ello Care is a competition amongst MTN operating companies to secure the highest number of staff involved in volunteerism and initiate projects with remarkable impact. The operating company with the highest staff participation wins the prize money,which is reinvested in community projects.

Since the competition was launched in 2007, MTN Ghana has won the 2008 WECA Regional Awards and the overall Y’ello Care Challenge for 2010 & 2011. MTN Ghana also won the Y’ello Care ICT Project for 2013 and Y’ello Care Innovation Project award for 2014. In 2015 and 2016 MTN Ghana won the Integrity and Leadership Award respectively.

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Media Contact

Cynthia Lumor

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