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Issue 00435 |
September 9 - 15, 2006 |
issn 0856 - 9135 |
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Features |
| Vodacom does a ‘Hans Meyer!’ By Valentine Marc Nkwame Senior officials of Vodacom Tanzania have just done what the legendary German explorer Hans Meyer did about 117 years ago. While Meyer remains the first ever 'White Man' to conquer the Mount Kilimanjaro summit in October 1928, the Vodacom bigwigs on the other hand intend to accomplish the same feat this week but this time with a philanthropic cause. While at the threshold of launching the country's first ever third generation (3G) mobile communication system, the top management of Vodacom Tanzania, the local leading cellular phone service provider, has just embarked on a humanitarian trekking cause on top of Africa's highest peak, to raise money for the HIV-Aids orphans and other underprivileged children in Tanzania. Led by the Company Managing Director, Romeo Kumalo, the Vodacom senior officials started their five day expedition to scale Mount Kilimanjaro, targeting to raise over Tshs 30 million, the money which will then be donated to local orphanages and associations that caters for people with disabilities, through the newly formed Vodacom foundation. The entourage, which also included the Vodacom Executive Marketing Officer, Dick Omondi and the company's Head of sales in the Northern Zone, Correia Swanepoel, among other senior officials, began their climbing trip at about 11.00 am last Sunday, the 3rd of September, 2006 . "We hopefully expect to complete the mission after five days." said Mr. Romeo Kumalo. "We are proud to be able to take part in this climb, organized by Vodacom Foundation in order to assist children whose parents had died of HIV-Aids and those living under difficult conditions. This is another demonstration of our commitment to support the community." added the Vodacom director, shortly before the team embarked on the five day mountain trek, which started at the Marangu gate. Dick Omondi, the Vodacom Executive Marketing Manager, explained that the expedition was just 'curtain raiser' to series of philanthropic efforts that his company was planning to execute under the Vodacom Foundation, adding that the funds to be raised from the maiden exercise will first benefit the underprivileged children in Arusha and Kilimanjaro regions. "We are taking each of the country's precincts' at a time. We are now starting with the Northern Zone but we will go on to other parts of the country raising money for the underprivileged, in addition to doing other charity works such as sponsoring education for poor students, assisting in community development projects and funding health services." He said. Exactly 116 years and 11 months after the European explorer, Hans Meyer reached the Africa's highest altitude of 5895 meters above sea level, the Vodacom team will be doing the same, this time however the achievement will come with a Tsh.30 million package for local orphans. Being also the first local cellular network to record signals at the ice capped Uhuru peak (According to the company information officer, Leticia Kaijage), Vodacom may have already achieved the 'Hans Meyer' feat for being the first ever phone service provider in the world to reach the African roof. Boasting more than 1 million subscribers, Vodacom remains Tanzania 's leading network provider, closely followed by Celtel-Tanzania. Other mobile phone networks available in the country include; Tigo (formerly Mobitel) and Zantel.
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