Tigo embarks on pro-child initiative

The government has hailed initiative  by MIC Tanzania (Tigo) to support brilliant social entrepreneurial idea towards children welfare, saying sustainable investment on children and youths was inevitable for the betterment of the nation.

Minister for Community Development, Gender and Children Sophia Simba invited the private sector to support the resource constrained government towards improving the welfare of children.

“It’s through adequate investment in children and youth that our country will groom responsible and resourceful citizens of the future,” Ms Simba said, urging other businesses in the country to emulate the precedence that the communication firm had set.

Tigo has come up with “Reach for Change” project that envisages supporting brilliant social entrepreneurial ideas toward children welfare in the next three years.

Under the project, Tigo is inviting social entrepreneurs to come up with sustainable ideas that focus on the children’s rights.

Tigo General Manager Diego Gutierrez said the firm has partnered with a Swedish NGO, Reach for Change, on identifying and supporting local social entrepreneurs with solid ideas on improving children’s lives.

“We believe in sustainability and giving back to the communities we operate in,” Mr Gutierrez said. “Every child has a right to a life full of abundance.”

Tigo Corporate Social Responsibility Officer Woinde Shisael said the emerging three winners in this year’s first round would be given 25,000 US dollars (over 40m/-) annually for the next three years as a salary to implement their ideas.

“The project will run for three years and each year three winners will be picked. This will make a total of nine solid ideas after three years,” Ms Shisael said. The project expects to run up to 2017.

SOS Children’s Villages Tanzania National Director Rita Kahurananga praised the initiative as good and having come at the right time of executing the Family Strategic Programme (FSP) amid limited funds.

Maanisha Limited’s Andrew Mahiga said the project is good and positive but the incubation period of three years “is a bit too long and should be limited to one year.”

Reach for Change is the Swedish NGO, co-founded by Kinnevik, the founding firm of Millicom that owns Tigo.

Source: The Daily News, http://www.m.dailynews.co.tz, reported by Abduel Elinaza

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